Bread And Citrus
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: Working hard at her father's small family bakery, Weiss does her best to keep up appearances and make sales. But one day, an unfamiliar blonde girl walks in, and after that, nothing is quite the same. [Bakery AU].
1. Chapter 1

**I wrote this fic back in the spring of this year! It's nice to finally get to post and share it now! A special thanks to** **asouthernrussian and to** **kamenriderbiocore for their support!**

 **A/N: This is a normal life AU (I call it Bakery AU). No Grimm or Faunus. It's almost like my Ice Cream Shop AU, where Weiss' father owns a business where she works.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Bread And Citrus

Chapter 1.

Vale was a busy town, constantly full of busy people.

People did their best to make an honest living. Running shops and restaurants were popular options, though many offered car services as well.

Weiss Schnee was in the former group.

Her father had opened up a bakery only three years ago in the streets of Vale, being fortunate enough to rent out a space next to a few thrift shops and tailoring stores.

His business had gone well. He'd easily managed to hire a handful of professional bakers to prepare the foods in a large kitchen in the far back of the shop, while he left the selling up to his youngest daughter. Winter, his eldest, was away studying to eventually open her own business.

Weiss' father's shop was a humble little thing, with old-fashioned styled wooden floors and vintage designs coating the wallpapers. The elevated counter displayed many of their finest choices behind the glass, everything from bread to cookies and all else in between.

There were only five small tables with even smaller chairs set around the perimeter of the shop, as it was more intended to be a place to buy and go rather than sit and eat. But every now and again there were customers who preferred the latter option.

Calming, classical music was always playing on the radio for background noise, and whenever Weiss found herself alone, she often liked to sing.

The hours weren't terrible, either. Being a young college student, Weiss only had three classes a week during the summertime, all consecutively on the same day. Aside from Thursdays, she was devoting the majority of her full days to the bakery, since she fully intended to one day take over the family business.

But that day was still far off, and she had a long way to go.

So for now, she settled for enjoying every day as it came and went.

Her father knew she'd be perfect for the job behind the counter, because Weiss was a strong-willed girl with a silver tongue, so to speak. It wasn't often when she couldn't utilize her vernacular prowess to persuade customers to buy that extra slice of cake or add in another cookie.

Not only was she a suave young saleswoman, but she was a stern one as well. Any disputes that ever tried to raise their ugly heads in Schnee's Bakery never lasted for longer than thirty seconds.

Weiss had a certain way of utilizing that silver tongue of hers to throw verbal daggers, and she always knew her way around a sentence well enough to put an end to any arguments. But those were rare occurrences, and thankfully she didn't have to deal with uneducated people very often in the shop.

She loved her job for many different reasons.

For starters, it was her father's beloved business.

Ever since she and her sister had been young, talk of the bakery had always been woven into nearly every familial conversation. And it hadn't been for the sake of conditioning her into subconsciously favoring the profession; it was simply because it was something her family often got excited about and genuinely enjoyed.

Until three years ago, she had lived in the town of Atlas with her sister and father, but only recently they had moved to Vale for various reasons.

It wasn't often, but this job had allowed Weiss to travel, and even leave the stifling hometown that had slowly suffocated her for fifteen years.

Here in Vale, she felt she could breathe easier – and perhaps she really could. Geographically, Vale was closer to the ocean, and farther away from industry like Atlas was.

Every once in a while, when all the cars were at red lights and all the people had paused in conversation, if Weiss stepped outside for a moment, she could hear the distant crash of waves.

And often at night, after she'd closed up shop and begun the short walk home, she could smell the salty taste of the sea-breeze.

There were plenty of reasons why Weiss loved her job, and she knew that in time, even more would reveal themselves to her.

* * *

Weiss woke to a cool spring morning, where the very last remnants of winter still lingered on the breeze, but it wouldn't be long before they faded for good.

She woke as early as 8AM, as the bakery opened at 9 and closed its doors at 7PM.

There was no specific dress code for working at the bakery other than "look halfway decent" and to put on the little white apron lined with blue and decorated in the bottom-right corner with an embroidered image of a cookie, a cupcake, and a loaf of bread.

Other than that, Weiss was free to dress as she pleased. So she presently pushed herself out of bed and went to her drawers.

Her selection of clothing today was a light blue blouse and a white skirt that fell to her knees. It was already warm enough in the season not to require a jacket, so after eating breakfast and freshening up in the bathroom, Weiss headed out the door.

Sometimes, her father would walk to work with her, but for the most part he went to his office which was a five-minute car ride from home. While Weiss and the bakers dealt with the going-ons at the bakery itself, her father spent a lot of his time in his rented office space to deal with the financial aspects of the shop.

This morning, Weiss walked alone down the sidewalk, heading toward town with a strut in her step.

The people were just waking up and setting off to work.

The familiar faces Weiss was used to seeing on her path to work included an old woman who ran a flower shop nearby, and Weiss greeted her with a smile.

Now that the warmer weather was on its way, the petals of the potted plants were starting to brighten, adding a bit of vibrancy to the surrounding pale-colored buildings.

Another two minutes' worth of walking brought Weiss to the bakery.

The doors were locked, but the lights inside were on, telling her that the bakers were already present in their kitchen, hidden behind the back walls of the shop. Weiss tapped on the door and one of them hurried out to let her in with a good morning greeting.

The three bakers her father had hired came in a bit earlier than Weiss had to, and would prepare the usual quota of food for the day.

Morning time was Weiss' favorite time of day, as the scents of soft, freshly-baked bread were strong all around the shop.

When they opened the door to signify they were ready to start accepting customers, the scent wafted down the street for half a mile. And the soft whispers of the radio's music drifted through the air alongside the pleasant, homely smells.

As she entered, Weiss crossed the smoothly-waxed wooden floor of the customer's side of the shop. When she reached the marble counter, she went off to the far side, lifted up the movable edge, and stepped behind it. The floor was slightly elevated here, just by a few inches, so she may converse with customers comfortably, while still maintaining a slight air of authority in the shop.

Weiss put on her apron and took the short walk to the kitchen. She pushed open the doors and peeked in to greet the bakers briefly before returning to her station.

There were no customers yet, so Weiss took the liberty to start cleaning tables and the countertop.

The people knew that morning was the best time of day to pick up fresh orders from the bakery, so it was often their busiest time. Weiss entertained the line of customers herself, switching between being the salesperson and then working the register.

Most people knew what they wanted and were in and out quickly and entirely satisfied. The morning orders were things like bread and bagels, and they were simple enough.

But just as often as the working folk who were buying breakfast for the day entered, there also came in families with children who were seeking out freshly-baked cookies and treats.

Weiss had to be patient with them as they fumbled over the various choices depicted on the menu behind the counter, often taking several minutes to decide whether they wanted chocolate chip cookies or sugar cookies or cookies with rainbow sprinkles or fudge cookies. Their brownies were also a popular choice, as were the cakes.

With the nicer weather on its way, more and more people would soon be coming through the doors to give Weiss plenty more business.

But for now, she enjoyed the semi-busy days.

Their early-morning hours were when the lines formed most frequently, and the lively people required a lively hostess.

Weiss was content to serve them and get a few extra dollars in the tip jar for it.

But even more than the paycheck, she simply enjoyed the work itself.

She took great pride in knowing she was helping her father with his business, and was glad and eager to be a part of what allowed him to live his dream each and every day.

And it was her dream too, to one day take over this business entirely. The smiles the food put on people's faces were rewards in and of themselves.

It could get hectic and even stressful at times with impatient or demanding customers, but Weiss was more than capable of handling herself and always managed to resolve the situation peacefully.

There was no commotion that morning, and by the time noon rolled around, there was a quick influx of customers for lunchtime, and then a brief hour of silence.

Rather than the chatter of customers, the music of the radio took prescience once again, and Weiss found herself humming along to the songs as she took her lunch break.

She sat in a single chair behind the counter, as the tables in the shop were exclusively for customers, and having a seat at one of them would be highly unprofessional of her.

She picked at her salad in between sips from her canteen, and finally bit into a green apple to savor the sour, juicy taste.

Every now and again, one of the bakers would come out of the kitchen to offer Weiss a leftover cookie, or something of the like.

But today, Weiss' typically-tranquil lunch hour was interrupted as a customer entered the shop unexpectedly. It was an odd hour of the day, but it still happened from time to time.

Weiss quickly wiped her mouth with a napkin and put her lunch aside on a small table behind the counter. She stood and straightened herself up instantly, directing her attention to her customer as she went over the usual greeting.

"Welcome to Schnee's Bakery. Is there anything I can help you with?"

After working here in their new shop in Vale for three years already, Weiss had come to recognize her customers fairly well. She might not have known them all by name, but she'd committed most familiar faces to memory by now, often to match them up to their specific orders.

But this girl was one Weiss had never seen before.

The weather may have been getting warmer, but there was still a cool breeze from time to time, which was why Weiss was a bit baffled by the girl's choice in clothing.

She was wearing brown shorts and a yellow tank-top speckled with tie-dyed orange and white splotches. She had long, blonde, wind-blown hair that fell loosely down her back in a haphazard cascade, unlike Weiss' straight ponytail that resembled a neater, more controlled waterfall.

The girl sauntered about the shop, awestruck as she took in the scenery a bit until she realized Weiss had spoken to her. She made eye contact, and Weiss was instantly caught off guard by her mesmerizing lavender gaze.

The girl wore a bright, eager smile, and when she saw Weiss, she showed her white teeth in a grin.

"Hi, there!" she said. "I, uh... this is my first time comin' here, so I'm not familiar with what you have. Could you help me out?"

"Certainly," Weiss nodded. "We have a list of all of our available options right here." She motioned to the large chalkboard on the back wall. It listed all of their bread flavors in green writing, treats in pink, and limited-time offers in yellow.

The blonde girl's gaze traveled to where Weiss was pointing, and she stammered a reply.

"O-Oh. Right, thanks." She walked over to the side of the counter to peer at the list of options.

Weiss kept a respectable distance as not to get in her way or interrupt her line of sight. She could see the girl's eyes light up when she found what she was looking for on the menu.

"Oh, perfect!" the girl exclaimed. "You've got just what I need."

"What can I get for you?" Weiss prompted.

"Hmm..." The blonde started mumbling to herself. "Well, I'm not sure if I should get a lot, or just a few to start out. Y'see the bakery I usually went to just closed down last week, and they got relocated to the other side of town, so now this place is closest to home."

She quickly slapped a palm to her mouth before looking worriedly at Weiss. "Sorry! That's not to say your shop was like a 'Plan B' or a lesser option or anything like that! The only reason I never came here before was because I actually never even knew about it! I don't come into this part of town often and I never even knew there was another bakery here until recently! I-I'm sorry, I'm probably sounding so rude right now..."

She trailed off hopelessly, shoulders slumping and her gaze dropping to the floor.

But Weiss cracked a smile and shook her head politely.

"Not at all. I take no offense."

Quite frankly, her business had been doing well enough without this mess of a girl stumbling in every day to buy from them.

Of course the news that another bakery had closed up and moved out was only good news to Weiss, meaning people like this girl would now likely become patrons here instead.

Still, Weiss tried to be patient with the girl as she tried to stop babbling to herself.

"Anyway," Weiss went on kindly. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

The blonde girl looked up sharply, clearly glad that she hadn't hurt Weiss' feelings with her mindless banter.

"Yeah! I could smell the bread from this place a mile away, so I already know your food is awesome! So I'll take a baker's dozen of your chocolate-chip cookies, two large fudge brownies, and a slice of strawberry shortcake!"

Weiss committed the order to memory quickly and gave a nod.

"Just a moment please."

From a tiny dispenser on the counter, she pulled out a small napkin, which she used to touch the food to keep it sanitary, rather than making direct contact with her bare hands.

Weiss went to the cookie shelf which was located next to the bread. She gathered a baker's dozen of their popular chocolate-chip cookies into a box, positioning them in neat, orderly lines.

She sealed the box with expert motions and laid it on the counter before going to the refrigerated end of the counter where they kept their cakes. It was enclosed by glass on all sides, and Weiss opened the tiny door to reach inside.

There was a shelf for whole cakes and a shelf for individual slices, and Weiss took a plate with a strawberry slice. There was a bit of whipped cream on top, as well as a fresh strawberry, and at the blonde girl's request, Weiss covered it with rainbow sprinkles before packaging it up.

Finally, she grabbed two fudge brownies, wrapped them up, and put them into a bag. She put the brownie bag and the cake container on top of the larger cookie box to ensure it was easiest to carry.

"I'm assuming this for a birthday party?" Weiss inquired. "If so, I can give you our birthday discount," she explained, since this girl was new here.

But the blonde shook her head.

"Nah, not for a party. They're for my little sister!"

Weiss' eyes went wide. _All of this?_ she thought. _For a single girl?_

Despite her astounded thoughts, Weiss made sure to remain professional when she spoke.

"I see... Well then, your total is fourteen dollars."

"Got it!"

The girl fished into her shorts' pocket to retrieve her wallet, and for whatever reason, Weiss felt mildly impressed; this girl seemed like the type to make an order and then forget she had no money on her.

She wouldn't go so far as to label her as a scatterbrain – not right away, at least – but from what Weiss had seen of her in the five minutes she'd known her, this girl seemed to tend to get overly-excited about things, enough to act without thinking.

She handed Weiss a ten and a five dollar bill, and Weiss gave her back a single. The girl slipped that into the tip jar with a wink.

"Keep the change~" she said with a grin.

In all honesty, the action made Weiss' heart thump a little bit, and she might've been flattered for a minute longer-

-if the girl hadn't picked up her order, turned around, and then proceeded to trip over her own two feet and drop _all_ of her food.

There was a thud as she hit the floor, the cookie box slipping from her hands, though by some miracle the cake and brownies didn't fall off.

Alarmed, Weiss instantly rushed from behind the counter, pushing past the movable board and jumping off the small step.

"Are you alright?" she fretted, rushing to the blonde girl. She crouched down beside her, but didn't touch her, instead digging into her apron's pocket for her cell phone. "Should I call for help?"

"No-" the girl moaned. "Haha, I'm fine, I'm fine! Don't worry, it was just a lil' trip is all." She pushed herself up and dusted off her clothes, dragging her food containers back within her range.

Weiss watched her with concerned eyes.

"Are you sure?" she checked. "You didn't hit your head, did you?"

"Nah, not at all!" the blonde reassured her. "I'm fine, see?" She gave a wide grin to demonstrate.

Weiss might've been more convinced if not for the red mark on her forehead.

"I can get you some ice-"

"N-No need!" The girl quickly gathered her things into her arms and got to her feet.

Weiss hastily put a hand to her back just for support, and stood alongside her. The girl was clearly frazzled and in a hurry to leave now, and Weiss didn't want to hold her back. But she just wanted to ensure she was alright.

"Is your food damaged?" she wondered. "If so, I can give you new ones-"

"Nope! S'all good!" the girl said quickly, not even bothering to look back over her shoulder at Weiss. "I-I'll be on my way, for today! Thanks for everything!"

Before Weiss could figure out what else she could do, the girl had already rushed out the door and disappeared.

Weiss found herself alone once more, the blonde girl having left just as quickly as she'd appeared. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of Weiss' stomach; the girl had seemed a bit jumpy from the start, but she'd practically ran out of the shop just now. Weiss couldn't help but feel guilty.

 _Was I too curt with her?_ she wondered. _Did I offend her somehow? She wouldn't even let me help her up..._

Despite her conflicting emotions, Weiss wouldn't be getting any answers today, and she knew that much for certain. She returned to the counter and slipped behind it, getting back into her proper place beside the register.

But even as the next wave of customers began filing in that afternoon, Weiss couldn't drag her thoughts away from the blonde girl.

There had been a sort of charm to her crooked smile, and despite her stammering words, her voice had been lively and pleasant.

As she closed up shop that night, Weiss found herself hoping the girl would come to visit again, and if she did, she would be sure to ask her name.

* * *

 **A/N: Next chapter will be from Yang's point of view! Let me know what you thought of this little introductory chapter, please!**

 **Ch2 preview: _She'd never been one to care much about appearances – people always just told her she was beautiful no matter what she was wearing._**

 ** _But this was one of the first times Yang had deliberately gone out of her way to dress nicely, and in the back of her mind, she knew exactly why._**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Just a quick note, right now it's summertime in the fic! Weiss is taking summer classes at her college, but Ruby and Yang don't have school. They're just doing some things for fun around town (ceramics and kickboxing, respectively).**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 2.

A typical day for Yang had usually consisted of stopping by the local bakery to pick up some snacks for herself and her little sister Ruby.

While Ruby was busy with her ceramic classes, Yang would head to the other side of town for kickboxing classes.

Yang was the one who passed by the old bakery and had always stopped in to purchase some cookies or brownies or whatever else Ruby might've requested that day. But after the old bakery had closed up and moved locations, there had been a devastating three entire days where Yang had come home to her little sister empty-handed.

They were forced to survive off the store-bought cookies their mother brought home, which weren't bad, but could never compare to freshly-baked.

And it also wasn't often their mother had the reason or ingredients to bake them cookies of her own; that was usually saved for special holidays or occasions.

Therefore, those past three days had been a little less sweet, until Yang had heard news about the other bakery in town. Hence why she had been the one to visit, despite the fact that it was on the opposite side of town from her kickboxing classes.

In truth, this other bakery was closer to Ruby's ceramic lessons building, but Yang had decided to walk the extra few blocks across town to see what this other bakery place was like.

And boy, had she been impressed.

The shop itself was a quaint little place, spotless, tranquil, and with the alluring scents of freshly-baked bread and cookies on the air. She was able to smell the place a block away as she'd headed there.

But the store and the extensive menu hadn't been the only things she was intrigued by.

Upon walking in, the girl behind the counter had made Yang freeze up a bit, but not in a bad way at all.

Her long hair was the purest ivory, her crystal-blue eyes like tiny pools of the sky itself, her welcoming smile enough to make Yang stutter and stumble over the words and structuring of basic speech.

She'd ordered food a million times before, in-person, on the phone, or however else, and Yang had never once suffered an issue in speaking to the other person.

But there was just something about this girl at the bakery that had struck a perfect chord.

Yang had never believed in the phrase 'love at first sight,' though, and even now, she told herself it was probably just all in her head.

And yet, the way she'd stumbled over her own two feet like a moron on the way out proved otherwise.

She'd been so flustered and embarrassed at herself that she'd hurried out of the shop without even looking back at the girl – if she had, Yang feared she would've revealed the heavy blush on her cheeks.

Even as she had hurried home that evening with the boxes of food in her arms, Yang's heart had been thumping, but not because of the physical exercise. She could tell this was for a different reason.

Upon arriving home, she'd been met with an exuberant Ruby who had jumped off the couch and squealed in excitement the second she'd smelled cookies. She'd hugged Yang and thanked her profusely and excitedly led her to the kitchen so they could have dinner with their parents, and then start on the desserts.

Yang had been a bit quieter than usual during supper, more focused on her own thoughts and daydreams.

And even as she'd laid down in bed that night after wishing Ruby sweet dreams, Yang's own dreams were filled with a white-haired girl.

* * *

The next morning, as the sisters were preparing for their days, Ruby bumped Yang's hip with her own to get her attention.

"Hey, so I heard that new bakery place you went to is kinda close to my ceramic school," she said. "So if you want, just show me where it is and I can stop by from now on! I'd love to see it, and it'll be a lot easier if I'm the one going so you don't have to walk aaaall the way there from kickboxing."

Yang had been subconsciously dressing herself in one of her nicest shirts and a flattering pair of shorts when Ruby had spoken.

"Oh... um..." Yang cleared her throat and bashfully ran a hand through her hair as she desperately tried to come up with an excuse. "I, uh... I gotta go by that way to hit another shop today, so I'll go to the bakery again. It's no trouble, so don't worry about it, Ruby."

"You sure? Well, okay then! Just make sure you buy yourself an extra cookie as a reward for walking all that way!"

Yang's shoulders relaxed a little bit – she'd be able to stop by the bakery again today. She could only hope the same girl would be there behind the counter.

She was in the middle of spraying on a bit of perfume when her sister spoke up again.

"Um, Yang? Why are you putting perfume on _before_ your kickboxing class?"

"Huh?" Yang looked down into her hand at the bottle and shook her head. "Oh, right." She gathered her bag of workout clothes that she would change into once she'd made it to the building, and instead slipped the perfume into that.

Ruby watched her with puzzled eyes.

"Yang? Are you feeling okay? Ever since last night, you've been a little... out of it."

"Who, me?" Yang chuckled. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Just a bit excited that we finally found this other bakery place to go to!" she declared.

She wasn't lying either, though Yang was excited for different reasons than just the food.

But as the person who _was_ excited about the food, Ruby assumed her elder sister was too, and she felt she understood Yang's sudden ditziness.

"Ooooh, okay. Well, as long as you're not getting sick, that's good!"

Their mother called, and Ruby darted down the stairs for breakfast. Yang grabbed her bag and followed a bit more slowly, mumbling to herself.

"I think I _am_ sick, Ruby," she admitted. "Totally lovesick."

* * *

After breakfast, Yang and Ruby parted ways as they headed on their short walks to their respective classes.

Ruby met up with Blake, a classmate of Yang's during the school year, but a classmate of Ruby's during the summer. She took the ceramics lessons as well, and was a common guest at the Rose-Xiao Long household.

After Blake had greeted them good morning, Yang gave her a brief hello hug before seeing the two of them off together.

She felt a lot better in always knowing Ruby wouldn't have to walk by herself, and though Blake didn't always talk much, she was a good listener to every excitable thing Ruby had to say.

Yang herself headed off in the opposite direction for her kickboxing classes.

She passed an assortment of small shops along the way, including several delis, antique shops, and thrift stores. The air was warm again today, and the breeze of the passing cars was welcomed.

When she arrived at her building, Yang greeted her classmates and teachers before heading straight to the changing room.

She shed her nice clothes that she'd selected this morning, and folded them neatly before packing them away into her bag. She'd never been one to care much about appearances – people always just told her she was beautiful no matter what she was wearing.

But this was one of the first times Yang had deliberately gone out of her way to dress nicely, and in the back of her mind, she knew exactly why.

But she could think about that later.

For now, she changed into her workout tank-top and shorts, gathering her hair to tie it into a ponytail. Then, along with some of her female classmates like her friends Pyrrha and Nora, she headed to class.

The class was only an hour long, but after somewhat rigorous warm-ups and various, intense exercise routines,and then the actual lessons themselves, Yang was always left a little breathless.

But as she limped back into the changing room to fish out her bottle of water and chug its contents down, she realized that now she'd be doing what she'd been anticipating all morning. With her class over, now she could head out.

She scarfed down a granola bar, eager to get going. In fact, she was so eager that she only bothered to eat half of it and stuffed the rest back into her bag so she could get moving sooner.

She was sure to deodorize thoroughly and wash her hands and face in one of the bathroom sinks. There weren't any showers here, but Yang would do the best she could to eliminate the sweat and grime of her workout.

Once she was satisfied, she peeled off her sweaty clothes and tossed them into her bag, now exchanging them for the softer, more comfortable materials of her yellow blouse and white shorts. She released her hair from its strangling prison and used a small hairbrush to smooth it out, untangling the knots to the best of her abilities. She spritzed on a bit more perfume before wishing her fellows goodbye and heading out.

By now, the sunlight was strong overhead, so Yang set a slower pace as to not make herself sweat again. She kept to the shady areas beneath the overhead balconies of the shops, and avoided the street and the dust that flew up from passing tires.

And even as she walked like this, she realized she had never been so mindful about walking home before in all her life.

Typically, she would trudge back with her hair still a mess and only try to straighten up a bit when she'd enter the old bakery to order some food.

But never before had she put in _this_ much effort and perfume.

 _Who am I kidding? I've totally got the hots for that girl. And it's only been one day! Goddamn, I've got it bad..._

She passed by the street that would've taken her home, and continued onward toward the newfound bakery. As she'd hoped, the same warm scent of bread reached her nose and filled her lungs.

She quickened her pace just a bit until the shop was in sight, its door wide open and welcoming her inside.

But before she entered, Yang paused again, reaching into her bag and pulling out her hair brush to smooth out her mane one final time, then spritzing a bit more citrusy perfume onto her collar.

At last, she straightened up and walked into the bakery.

Just like yesterday, there was no one else here in terms of customers, and Yang assumed this was a slower business hour, considering it was already after lunchtime now. The music was playing pleasantly, but there was no one behind the counter that she could see right away.

But as she stepped in and started walking toward the glass display cases to peruse the treats below, Yang noticed movement from behind the counter.

To her joy, the same girl from yesterday was there, standing up from a chair in a hurry as she put down what appeared to be a lunch bag. She swallowed quickly, coughing into her elbow a bit in her haste before she was sure to address Yang.

"Welcome to Schnee's Bakery. What can I get for you?"

Yang felt a lot of things in that simple instance when their eyes met.

First, there was the guilt at walking in on this girl when she'd been on her lunch break, and suddenly enough to almost make her choke.

Second, was the recognition of the other girl's voice, her captivating eyes, and her pretty face.

And thirdly was the giddiness that came when she realized this girl remembered her, too.

Yang's heart was already fluttering, and it took her a moment to speak, though it wasn't a reply to Weiss' automated, salesperson question.

"Uh, hi," the blonde said. "I'm here again today." Her eyes dropped just a few inches to look over the name tag on the girl's apron. "Weiss..." she mumbled under her breath. "How perfect."

But the other girl had thankfully only heard the first part of Yang' sentence.

"I can see that, " she said. "I'm glad you decided to visit us again. I'm sorry for prying, but are you quite sure you're alright? That was a rather nasty fall yesterday."

Yang felt the blood rush to her face instantly as the embarrassing memories were brought back to light. If there was any relief from it all, it was that Weiss wasn't mocking her about it – she was genuinely concerned that Yang had hurt herself.

"Uh, yeah. I'm all good, haha, don't worry," the blonde said. "I do kickboxing so a little fall like that was nothin'."

"Really now?" Weiss said, intrigued. "Kickboxing? That sounds awfully brutal. Did you just come from a lesson, if I may ask?"

Yang could tell the girl's curiosity was getting the better of her, and she was temporarily putting aside the formal lines of a salesperson to a customer to instead engage in casual conversation.

"Yeah," Yang nodded.

"And yet you look so nice," Weiss murmured.

Yang perked up at those words; Weiss had noticed all the effort she'd put into her appearance. For whatever reason, that made her grin even wider.

But in her excitement, she spoke without thinking.

"Not as nice as _you_ look!"

There was a beat of silence, and for a minute, only the background music passed between them. Yang's smile fell instantly.

 _Oh my god, what did I do? That was_ way _too soon! We've only_ just _started talking! I'm just a customer!_

But before she could convince herself that she'd ruined every ounce of potential this thing might've had, Weiss cleared her throat.

"...Thank you," she said. "Sorry, I was... just a bit shocked. It's not often I get complimented on my appearance, considering I'm just a bakery salesgirl."

When Yang looked up again, she could see a faint dusting of pink had spread across Weiss' cheeks. She felt her jaw go a little slack and forced herself to look away, lest she start drooling.

"Yup. Totally smitten," she mumbled.

"What was that?"

"U-Um!" Yang quickly spun around to face Weiss once more. "I s-said um... r-rolling kitten! Yeah, haha at the pet shop a few blocks down. I saw this kitten in the window just kinda rollin' around and he was so cute, y'know?" She laughed nervously, putting a hand behind her head.

Weiss gave her a puzzled look for a second before she smiled again.

"I see. I've yet to pass the pet shop. I'll be sure to look out for the rolling kitten when I do," she assured. "Now then, is there anything I can get for you today?"

"Oh, right!"

Yang placed her order for a loaf of bread her mother had asked her to pick up, and then requested a bag of chocolate-chip cookies and a slice of strawberry cake.

As Weiss prepared everything for her and put the food into separate baggies, she addressed Yang once more.

"This bread is for your parents, I'm assuming?"

"Huh? Yeah."

"And you said your sister gets the cookies, right?"

"Usually."

"So the cake is for you, then?"

"Nah, that's for my sister, too."

"I see..." Weiss finished placing the cake slice into its little box and sealed it up. "Have you eaten since your kickboxing lessons?" she wondered.

Yang was a bit taken aback by the question, but she gave an answer nonetheless.

"I... had half a granola bar before I started walking home," she recalled.

Weiss held her gaze for a brief moment before going back to the display cases. She used a napkin to pick up a brownie and brought it over to the counter before reaching it out to Yang.

"Here," she said.

The blonde blinked up at her in surprise.

"Huh? No, it's okay. I don't need a brownie."

"I wasn't asking if you did," Weiss huffed. "Just take it. It's on me."

"Wh-What?"

"Go on. It's no trouble, I assure you. You need to eat something more than just a granola bar after something as energy-consuming as kickboxing." She leaned out a bit more to offer Yang the treat.

A little dumbfounded, the blonde slowly reached up her hands to accept it from those delicate fingers.

But before she could, something happened.

Weiss' weight seemed to betray her as she was leaning over the counter, and a sudden slip of her foot sent her falling sideways with a yelp.

"Ah-"

"W-Whoa!"

Without really thinking, Yang reacted instantly. She rushed forward to reach over the hard countertop and wrap her arms awkwardly around the girl's torso to steady her. She squeezed tightly, pressing close to Weiss over the counter, her abdomen pushing against the hard marble. But her collar and neck were cradled softly against Weiss'.

Yang was frozen for a few seconds with Weiss in her arms, her heart still pounding at the suddenness of it all.

But once she was sure Weiss had found her balance once more, Yang quickly released her.

"S-Sorry about that!" she said, stepping back. "I just- I didn't think and I-"

"No," Weiss sighed. "Don't apologize. Thank you. I'd just finished cleaning the floor back here and there was a wet spot... and I slipped."

Yang could see that Weiss was rubbing her stomach a bit with her free hand, the other having still managed to keep hold of the brownie.

Yang's eyebrows furrowed.

"Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

"Oh!" Weiss quickly dropped her hand from her stomach. "Not at all. I'm alright. Though if it hadn't been for you, I'm not sure what might've happened..." She easily could have hit her head against the cash register or the edge of the nearby display case.

Yang realized as much as well and shuddered.

"You sure?"

"Yes..."

Their roles from yesterday had been reversed, and both girls found it a bit comical now that they were sure the other wasn't injured.

"Anyway," Weiss said, clearing her throat once more. "Please take this as well." She handed Yang her brownie – a little squished now – and pushed the other bag of the rest of her order toward her.

Yang accepted everything and paid, though Weiss was sure to return the extra dollar the blonde had tried to slip her.

"As I said, the brownie is on me," she said. "Consider it thanks for saving me just now."

"Alright..." Yang nodded. "Then... if you're sure you're okay, I'll-"

"Oh, hold on a moment, if you wouldn't mind!" Weiss blurted out. "I... I mean if it's alright with you I'd... like to know your name. I-I mean just so I can greet you properly if you decide to come again."

Yang's heart started thumping all over again.

"It's... Yang," she said with a small smile.

"Miss Yang," Weiss repeated.

"Ugh, wait no-" The blonde put a hand up. "We're about the same age, right? So drop the formalities. It's fine. Just call me Yang."

"If you're sure..." Weiss nodded. "Yang."

The kick-boxer felt she could've done a backflip out of excitement.

"Yeah, perfect!" she said. "Then I'll see you tomorrow, Weiss!"

The white-haired girl was about to be surprised at having her name used, until she remembered her name tag.

With a small wave and an even smaller smile, Weiss returned the words.

"See you tomorrow, Yang."

That night, Yang wasn't the only one dreaming about the girl in the bakery shop.

* * *

 **A/N: Things are speeding along, aren't they? It's amazing how a few literal slip-ups can help move things along at a reasonable pace. (And I like the last line because 'the girl in the bakery shop' could mean either of them, depending on whose perspective we're looking from~)**

 **Ch3 preview: _"So... you're saying Yang started acting weirdly right at the same time as she started going to the new bakery?"_**

 ** _"Yeah... I think so."_**

 ** _"I see..." Keeping her arm around Ruby to support her as they walked, Blake devised a plan. "Alright," she announced. "We'll get to the bottom of this today. So don't worry, okay, Ruby?"_**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Now this is mostly a Weiss/Yang story, but there is a wee bit of Ruby/Blake as well~**

 **Thanks to** **mortxlitasi** **for their support!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 3.

For the next week or so, Yang made up excuses to stop by the bakery on her way home, even if it meant walking the few extra blocks.

She didn't mind walking there at all, and the weather was clear every time, making for an enjoyable saunter around town.

But even better than the weather and the homely scent of the shop itself was the girl who greeted her each and every time.

After their first few meetings when the initial awkwardness had finally started to fade, the two of them found it much easier to smile and start conversations, not just about food, but about their everyday lives; the weather, how business was flowing, how their mornings had gone, and things like that were popular topics between them.

It became Weiss' habit to slip Yang an extra cookie or muffin to enjoy as a free snack, and she herself always took an extra dollar or two out of her own pocket and put it in the register to cover the cost.

Luckily, there wasn't anymore tripping on either of their accounts – unless falling head over heels counted.

Both suffered that fall, and they told themselves as much, but neither knew how to handle it in conversation with the other.

And for now that was fine – they could be happy with this relationship as salesgirl and customer.

Yang always managed to stop by during Weiss' lunch break hour, when only a few or no other customers were around. The bakers in the kitchen in back hardly ever emerged into this part of the shop, so Weiss and Yang essentially had the place to themselves.

Sometimes, Yang would sit at one of the little tables and nibble on the treat Weiss had given her for free, simply enjoying the atmosphere of the place.

And every day for the rest of the week, the blonde girl went out of her way for Weiss – not only in walking there, but in dressing up a bit as well. She was always certain to look as nice as possible after a one-hour kickboxing lesson.

Even on the weekend, Weiss was there at the shop, opening it at the same hour of the morning and closing at the same hour of the evening.

Yang didn't have kickboxing on Sundays, but she simply told her parents she was going for a walk to the bakery.

Ruby had been obsessing over a new video game, so once again, Yang lucked out in going to see Weiss alone.

But after that first week was up, so was her privacy in terms of seeing Weiss.

Ruby had noticed the changes in Yang over the past week. Her parents didn't really notice because they trusted Ruby and Yang to do whatever they pleased when walking around town during the daytime.

But every morning when Ruby offered to stop by the bakery herself and spare Yang the walk there, her older sister denied the offer with something like "Nah, I'll go. I needed to stop by that other shop next door," or "I can do it. Zwei needs more food, so I'll stop by the pet store and then swing by the bakery" and things like that.

Ruby made her offer again this morning, and wondered what Yang's excuse would be this time.

"Yang," she said. "Want me to go to the bakery today?"

"Hm?" That had been another thing; every time someone addressed the blonde, she'd smile and hum at them as though her mind had been in another world. "Nah, it's alright. I wanna check out the jewelry store nearby so I'll go."

Ruby looked her sister up and down.

"Okay..."

Yang had definitely been a lot more spacey recently, and Ruby wondered if she should address that. But she decided against it for now for fear of upsetting her sister, and decided instead on a different plan of action.

Once the two girls had eaten and headed out of their house, they hugged as always before waving goodbye.

Blake arrived within minutes to fetch Ruby, and called out a greeting to Yang who was already starting down the opposite sidewalk. Yang waved back with a big, lazy swing of her arm that even Blake found a bit peculiar.

"What's gotten into her lately?" she wondered.

"So you noticed, too," Ruby observed. "I wish I knew..." As the pair began to walk toward town and their waiting ceramic lessons, Ruby began to explain things to Blake. "Yang's been acting weird for this whole last week. Whenever someone asks her a question, she never hears it the first time, and she's always distracted. She almost walked into a wall last night!"

"As much of an idiot as she can be sometimes... even _that_ sounds a bit extreme for her," Blake commented. "Is she getting sick?"

"That's what I asked her a few days ago, but she said no. And, I mean... she's still going to kickboxing classes every day, and she comes home all smiley and happy. She doesn't seem exhausted or anything like that. But I think she's been having trouble sleeping lately? Like, usually, she just flops into bed and that's it, but recently I can hear her moving around for like an hour before she's finally out."

"Is she eating?"

"Yeah. She eats the same as ever. But even at dinnertime conversations, she seems kinda distant. Like her body's there but her mind's not." Ruby looked down at the sidewalk before her, shoulders slumping as she sighed. "Do you think I should talk to our parents about it? I'm a little worried..."

Blake could tell as much. By means of comfort, she wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders and rubbed her back gently.

"I don't think you have to be that concerned," she said. "Yang's a big girl who can take care of herself. It doesn't really seem like anything's _wrong_ , right? At least, not in a bad way. When did all of this start, anyway?"

"...About a week ago," Ruby confessed. "She started going to the new bakery on the way home. And even after I said I would do it 'cause it's closer to my route, she always said she was fine with doing it."

Hearing that made Blake's eyes go a bit wider, and the lightbulb finally went off in her head.

"So... you're saying Yang started acting weirdly right at the same time as she started going to the new bakery?"

"Yeah... I think so."

"I see..." Keeping her arm around Ruby to support her as they walked, Blake devised a plan. "Alright," she announced. "We'll get to the bottom of this today. So don't worry, okay, Ruby?"

They paused outside of their ceramic workshop building. Ruby looked up into Blake's kind golden eyes and nodded.

"Okay. Thanks, Blake!"

Blake hugged her softly for reassurance. Ruby always felt better when Blake hugged her.

A moment later, they broke apart, though Blake kept her arm around the smaller girl.

"Now don't worry about your idiot sister, okay? Let's enjoy our lesson and we'll figure this out later."

Ruby nodded again as she followed her inside.

* * *

Yang was on cloud nine today.

The sun was up, the sky was bright blue, there was a nice breeze in the air, and she was just feeling exceedingly rejuvenated as she sauntered downtown to her kickboxing class.

Once there, she had a great workout, worked up a bit of a sweat, and overall had a good time exercising before retreating back to the locker room to change.

She washed up in the bathroom as always, using a small towel she'd brought along to clean the sweat off her arms, legs, and collar before making sure she smelled and looked halfway decent.

There was an extra bounce in her step today as she headed out the doors and back into town, bound for the bakery.

When she reached the end of the block, she spritzed on another bit of perfume for good measure before crossing the little street, the scent of freshly-baked bread already filling her lungs.

But just before she saw the sign for the shop, she heard a voice.

"Yaaaang!"

She'd been humming to herself with her eyes closed in her merriment, but the second she heard her name, they shot open.

Just ahead of her on the sidewalk were two familiar figures – none other than Ruby and Blake.

Yang quickly straightened up and tried to play it cool as she headed for them.

"Uh, h-hey guys!" she said with a wave as she approached them. "Why are you comin' this way? I mean, your ceramic class is a few streets down so-"

"We just wanted to go to the bakery with you today!" Ruby explained.

"Right," Blake added. "Since you seem to enjoy it _so_ much." Her tone and eyes were suspicious, though not in a mean way, but a curious one.

Blake and Yang had been close friends for years, and even now, the blonde could read the unspoken message in her gaze:

 _Your little sister's worried about you, idiot._

Yang grinned sheepishly.

"Oh, is that so? Haha then yeah I, uh... y'know what, on second thought, I'm kinda beat after today so I'll skip the bakery."

She was about to turn on her heel when Blake reached out to grab her arm.

"Well, you already walked all the way here, Yang," she reminded her. "So you're saying you literally can't take three more steps into the shop?"

Yang sensed a bit of a challenge in her voice, and she turned back to the pair.

"I, uh-"

"Come on, Yang!" Ruby beamed. "It'll be fun! Blake and I haven't been here yet and we wanna see what it's like!"

Yang swallowed loudly enough for Blake to hear it. But the dark-haired girl didn't let go of her wrist as she all but dragged Yang inside.

Lavender eyes flashed nervously up to the counter; as usual, she didn't see Weiss right away, but knew she was sitting down to enjoy her lunch.

Ruby was already marveling at the place.

"Whoa! It's so cute! Look at the wallpaper! And the doilies on the tables are so pretty! And ooooh my gosh look at the _cookies_ they have!" She raced over to the display case in front of the counter and leaned over it like a child at an aquarium exhibit.

It was indeed Ruby's excited voice that pushed Weiss into action. Yang watched as her familiar white ponytail became visible when she stood, showing her back briefly as she dusted off her lap of possible crumbs. Then, she turned to face them with the voice and smile of an angel.

"Good afternoon, Yang!" she said.

Clearly, Weiss had known it would be her arriving at this hour, but hadn't expected her to have company. In her excitement to see Yang, she hadn't even registered Ruby's unfamiliar voice until now.

Yang blushed a little as she met Weiss' gaze.

"Hiya, Weiss!"

For Blake and Ruby... everything made sense automatically.

Blake looked from Yang to the girl behind the counter and back again. With the puppydog eyes Yang was ogling her with, the obvious beauty of the white-haired girl, the fact that they were already on _first-name basis..._

Everything was clear as day.

Blake came to the realization silently, and her lips couldn't stop themselves from curling up into a wide, knowing smile, her gaze meeting Yang's mischievously.

Ruby was much more vocal about it though.

"Oooooooohh..." she said. "I get it now! Yang, you like-"

"The food they make here!" Yang yelled, rushing over to slap a hand over her sister's mouth. "Oh gosh, yeah haha you know me, Ruby. I can't get enough of their cookies and stuff. You know how good they taste, right? Of course you do. I bring 'em home for ya every day, hahaha."

She rambled, saying whatever words came to mind, hoping no one – especially Weiss – had noticed where Ruby had been going with her sentence.

The blonde quickly whipped around to face Blake, her eyes pleading:

 _Please don't embarrass me in front of her!_

Blake read the message easily, and she could assume Yang had already embarrassed herself alone in front of this girl enough times in the past week. Blake could agree she probably didn't need any more mishaps.

Blake nodded to ensure she understood, though she kept the smug smile.

Yang knew she'd be in for a world of teasing afterward, but she'd bear it if it meant these two kept their mouths shut here and now in front of Weiss.

Blake was on her side, but-

"Hi, there!" Ruby had slipped away from Yang's grasp and bounded up to the counter to speak to Weiss. "Did you know? My sister's been acting really weird all week. I think she likes you!"

A soundless scream flew from Yang's lungs as though she'd been punched in the gut by a world-renown boxer.

There were three options: one – to leap forward and grab Ruby in a headlock, two – to turn tail and flee out the door and never come back, or three – to pass out right then and there from sheer humiliation.

Whichever option ended up happening, Blake was bracing herself and holding Yang firmly; even she was a bit miffed that Ruby had spilled the beans so quickly and right in front of Yang's crush.

The girl named Weiss simply stared at Ruby, utterly baffled. She blinked and cleared her throat, and Blake could tell the only reason Yang hadn't passed out or ran away yet was because she was waiting to see the response.

Weiss took a breath and tried to calm herself; this girl's declaration had sent her heart pounding into overdrive, but she needed to stay professional.

"Really, now?" she said a little softly. "That's nice to know. I like your sister, too. Now, is there anything I can get for you?"

There was a lot to take in just then.

Yang went with the third option and went limp in Blake's arms, turning around and burying her face in her friend's shoulder.

"Oh my god Ruby, _oh my god_ -"

She didn't know if she wanted to strangle her sister or kiss her. Blake patted her back gently, struggling to hold her old friend up.

"Well..." she mumbled. "Didn't you hear? At least she likes you, too-"

Just reminding Yang of what Weiss had said a minute ago had her swaying all over again, and though Blake seriously did consider dropping her for a second, ultimately she struggled to keep her on her feet.

In the meantime, Ruby had already gotten over the blatant confession from Weiss and was darting around the shop, excitedly telling Weiss everything she'd like to buy. She watched eagerly as Weiss gathered everything into little baggies for her. Ruby then pulled out her own wallet and paid for everything with a bright grin on her face. She thanked Weiss before gathering the bags into her hands and strutting eagerly out the door.

Yang wasn't even fully conscious until she realized they were outside once again. The breeze woke her up a bit, as did Blake's motion of pushing her down onto a bench.

"Gosh..." the dark-haired girl sighed. "I can't believe you almost passed out."

" _I_ can't believe Ruby-" Yang wailed. "Ruby, you little- I'm gonna-"

"Oh, here!" Ruby – who had been happily munching on the cookies she'd bought – paused for a second to reach out a napkin-wrapped brownie to her sister. "That girl Weiss said this was for you! For free!"

Yang slumped against Blake's shoulder and very nearly fell off the bench, but she accepted the treat nonetheless.

"She... probably thinks I'm a creep now..." Yang mumbled. "I mean, I've only known her for a week! And I mean, I've been crushin' on her since day one, but like... what if she's just super uncomfortable around me from now on? I don't want that..."

Blake could tell her friend was really conflicted about this. So she opted to rub Yang's back for her a little bit.

"That won't happen," she said. "Didn't you hear? She said she likes you, too."

"Yeah, but she probably just meant it in like a customer kinda way. She probably likes _all_ her customers. I don't think she meant it like _that_..."

Blake didn't like seeing Yang so downtrodden like this, so she did all she could to try and make her feel better.

"You don't know that," she said. "How many of her customers do you think she smiles at and calls by their first name whenever they walk through the door?"

Yang sighed again, tearing off a bit of her brownie and popping it into her mouth with a shrug.

"I dunno..."

Blake frowned, and even Ruby paused in her cookie-eating to scooch closer to Yang's other side, pressing against her.

"Yang?" she whimpered. "I'm... I'm really sorry if I screwed up with that. I wasn't thinking and I kinda just blurted everything out and now I've _ruined_ it for you..."

Yang heard the wobble in her little sister's voice and quickly straightened up, slipping an arm around her back.

"No, it's alright, sis. Don't worry about it, 'kay? Enjoy your cookies."

Blake tapped the blonde's shoulder to get her attention.

"Do you want us to stop by here again with you tomorrow? In case it gets awkward between you and Weiss?"

Yang thought for a moment before shaking her head.

"Nah, it's alright. Whatever happens between us tomorrow, I wanna deal with it head-on. I'll see if she's acting differently or says anything to me."

"Yeah," Blake nodded. "Who knows? Maybe' she'll have forgotten about all of this tomorrow."

Yang gave a grin and nodded.

"Yeah!"

She knew she herself wouldn't forget, but the hope that maybe Weiss would was what caused her to stand on her own and pull the other two up with her. She slung an arm around them both and together the trio began making their way back toward their homes.

As she had been for the past seven nights, Weiss was all that was on Yang's mind that evening and as she lay in bed that night.

And little did Yang know that she was on Weiss' mind as well, and was responsible for every skip of her heart and every blush on her cheeks.

They'd just have to wait until tomorrow to see if they could sort things out.

* * *

 **A/N: I tried something new with this fic - a quick, blatant confession early on. I hope it's a change of pace for you guys!**

 **Ch4 preview: _Weiss carried a textbook under her arm instead of her lunch bag, and her stride was a little shorter than usual as she walked through town._**

 ** _Had it not been for the friendly greeting of the old lady who ran the flower shop, Weiss might've walked down the wrong street..._**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm glad you guys liked Ruby's confession in Yang's stead!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 4.

The following day, Yang was a little nervous about showing up at the bakery, but she was determined to go through with it.

Ruby and Blake agreed to let her go alone as to not interfere with whatever conversation would potentially arise between Yang and her crush.

The blonde was jittery all that morning through her kickboxing class until she found herself outside of the bakery shop.

There, she took a deep breath to calm her nerves and stepped inside.

Thankfully, Weiss greeted her with the same smile and call of her name just as she'd been doing for just over a week now. Neither said anything about what had been revealed yesterday, and the tense atmosphere between them quickly lifted.

Yang became her usual giddy self around her, doing her best not to stammer as she placed her order for food and entertained Weiss' casual question of how her day had gone.

By the time she'd stumbled home with the little boxes and bags in-hand, Yang was back to her giggly, lovestruck self.

Ruby had been eagerly awaiting a verdict about the situation, nervous that she herself had screwed it up for Yang.

But the grin on her sister's face as she walked through the door was more than enough to reassure her.

Ruby passed the news on to Blake the next day that everything was fine, but from then on, the two agreed to let Yang go to the bakery alone without disturbing her.

That afternoon, they simply waited for Yang a few blocks away and walked back to their neighborhood with her, helping her carry the baggies of food. Blake observed that Yang was always holding a little brownie or cookie or muffin in her hand – the daily treat given by Weiss.

That week and a half had been some of the most interesting days of Yang's life thus far, and never before had she felt so excited and happy, even when she wasn't in the shop with Weiss.

It was the next day, however, – a Thursday – when Yang walked into the shop and didn't hear the happy call of her name.

Instead of Weiss, there was a teenage boy standing behind the counter to greet her.

Yang could feel her heart and smile drop instantly as all the worst-case scenarios went through her head.

 _What happened to Weiss? Did she get fired? Is she sick? Did they replace her?_

She managed to slip the question into conversation with the boy.

"Um..." she mumbled. "Do you know what happened to the other girl working here? Sorry if it's weird to ask, but I've just gotten so used to seeing her that... well _not_ seeing her now feels weird."

The boy maintained his relaxed expression as he answered her.

"Oh, you mean Weiss, the boss' daughter? She has college classes on Thursdays, so they're her days off from the shop. She'll be back tomorrow."

The swiftness with which Yang felt herself relax at hearing that Weiss was alright attested to just how deeply she'd fallen for the girl.

"Oh, I see. That's good. Alright then, I'll have..."

She placed her order, vaguely remembering that last week Weiss had been here on Thursday, but could guess that there must have been an off-day from school.

After Yang had paid for her food, she lingered an extra few seconds before she realized she wouldn't be receiving her usual free snack today.

It felt odd walking out of the bakery with nothing in her free palm.

* * *

Weiss dropped her school bag the second she arrived home that evening.

She'd been given a ton of assignments that day during her classes. Not to mention that things had worked out poorly enough so that she'd have an exam in all three consecutive courses next Thursday.

With her usual job at the bakery, she wouldn't have much time to get her work completed and study as well, so she decided then and there to cut two hours into her sleep schedule every night in order to take care of that.

She skipped dinner that night in order to use the time to get started on her work, not realizing that it would become a common habit before long.

* * *

The next day, Yang sauntered happily into the bakery, knowing full-well that Weiss would be there.

She wasn't disappointed when she heard her name being called out.

"Good afternoon, Yang!" Weiss said as she stood up; she hadn't been eating lunch that day, but studying instead.

The kick-boxer visibly brightened and waved to her.

"Hiya, Weiss! It's good to see ya again! To be honest I, um... kinda got a bit worried yesterday when I came in and didn't see you."

"Worried?" Weiss felt her heart beat a little faster at the concern. "How so?"

"I dunno. Like I thought something had happened to you and you'd been replaced. I was scared until the boy working here told me you had school."

Weiss couldn't deny how flattered she felt about having Yang worry for her, but there was also a bit of guilt as well.

"I'm sorry I made you worry," she said. "I should've mentioned to you that I have summer classes on Thursdays."

"Naw, it's alright! You're okay, and that's all that matters!"

"Still, let me make it up to you," Weiss pleaded. She grabbed a napkin from the dispenser on the counter and then a pen from her apron's pocket. She scribbled something down on it before handing it to Yang. "Here."

Curious, the blonde girl accepted the napkin and flashed her gaze over the ink.

It was a phone number.

Yang almost fell over.

Heat rushed to her face even faster than when Ruby had confessed to Weiss _for_ her.

"Wh...What's this?" she wondered.

"My number," Weiss said, confirming Yang's thoughts. "This way, if you... if you ever get worried about me again, you can text me. If I'm near my phone and able to reply, I always will."

"R-Really?" Yang blurted out.

Weiss gave a shy nod.

Yang had to restrain herself from kissing the napkin. She folded it carefully and slipped it into her short's pocket, ensuring it was absolutely secure and wouldn't fall out.

She made a mental note not to throw her clothes in the washing machine tonight without retrieving it first.

From there, the two girls went about their usual procedure of placing orders, fetching food, and passing smiles. Yang paid, and Weiss handed her the food and a muffin as usual.

Yang didn't want to leave, but other customers were beginning to flow in, so she said her goodbyes to Weiss and headed out, munching happily on her muffin.

Ruby and Blake met her on the way home, and the latter of the two asked why Yang was excessively bubbly.

"I'm guessing Weiss was back today?" she assumed.

"Yep!" Yang confirmed. "And she's cute as ever~!"

Blake and Ruby were both happy for Yang. Seeing her so giddy all the time now made them happier as well.

That night, after she'd successfully remembered to take the napkin out of her pocket, Yang lay in bed with her phone and typed in the number, saving it and favoring it as well. She worked up the courage to send a simple text to see if it was working properly:

 **_Hi, Weiss! It's Yang! I hope you're having a good evening!_ **

She bit her lip and hit send, waiting for a response as her heart pounded.

It was less than a minute later when her phone buzzed, and she eagerly read the reply:

 ** _It's a much nicer evening now that you've texted me._ **

Yang had to stop herself from squealing out loud, lest her parents or Ruby hear her.

She only texted Weiss for a few more minutes, not wanting to keep her from sleeping. So she wished her a goodnight with a promise:

 ** _See you tomorrow!_ **

Weiss returned the same words:

 ** _Goodnight. I'll see you tomorrow!_ **

Yang curled up that night with the biggest grin on her face.

* * *

The next few days were difficult for Weiss.

They consisted of juggling her personal life, work, and the excess schoolwork.

Now, with Yang's nightly text messages thrown into the mix, she was effectively distracted for a good portion of every evening, which only ended up cutting further into her sleeping time. So she often decided to stay up and study more instead.

After three days, she'd finished all of her assignments, but sacrificed a lot of rest for them.

. . .

It was presently Tuesday morning, and Weiss slipped out of the house before her father or sister could offer her breakfast.

She carried a textbook under her arm instead of her lunch bag, and her stride was a little shorter than usual as she walked through town.

Had it not been for the friendly greeting of the old lady who ran the flower shop, Weiss might've walked down the wrong street.

She shook herself awake once she reached the shop, and one of the bakers let her in before retreating to the back kitchen.

Weiss slipped her apron on over her blouse, tying it behind her back to the best of her abilities. She stepped up behind the counter and placed her textbook down on the little table back there, opening it to a specific page so she could glance down occasionally to skim a passage or two.

Her head was throbbing a little, but as soon as the first customer stepped foot inside, Weiss forced herself to ignore the pain and focus on her work.

She did her best to smile and greet each and every person, though her voice grew quickly feeble. She focused instead on gathering the requested types of bread or muffins the people were asking for.

Weiss could count on one hand how many mistakes she'd ever made on the job by means of switching up orders or giving someone the wrong kind of bread.

That morning, it happened three more times, and she apologized profusely to her customers, though they merely smiled and ensured her it was fine.

But in Weiss' mind, it wasn't fine.

In her mind, she was making more mistakes than she was doing good for her father's business today.

She pushed herself harder as the day went on, wiping the sweat off her forehead, and continuing to ignore the throbbing in her head.

* * *

Yang wiped the sweat off her face with a wet paper towel, dabbing at her hairline, cheeks, and down the sides of her neck.

She deodorized as per usual and slipped her pretty sunflower-colored sundress over her sports bra.

Today was the first day since she'd met Weiss that she'd be wearing a dress, and Yang was a little extra excited to be able to show off. It was also fairly hot today, so the attire worked well for her.

She freed her hair from its ponytail and combed through it a few times until she was finally satisfied.

At last, she gave the usual spritz of perfume, slung her bag over her shoulder, and she was on her way.

The day was bright and warm as summer finally got underway. When she passed the flower shop, she stopped for a moment to pet the old lady's cat and comment on how beautiful the flowers were.

A few minutes later, she caught the whiff of bread, and continued on toward the bakery.

When she stepped in, she felt the fabrics of her dress dancing around her knees, flowing slightly in the breeze in contrast to the way her usual shorts would hug her thighs.

"Good afternoon!" she called in. "Guess who's here, Weiss?"

As usual, she didn't see the white-haired girl right away, but knew Weiss was sitting down in her usual chair. Yang skipped inside, a smile spread across her lips as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Weiss~" She hummed, but still the girl didn't appear.

 _Is she on a bathroom break?_ Yang wondered.

Just before she reached the counter, however, she heard the sounds of movement and saw motion behind the display cases.

"There she is!" Yang beamed gregariously.

Her voice was what persuaded Weiss to get out of her chair and put her textbook aside, holding onto the nearest wall and counter to support herself.

"Oh..." she mumbled. "Hello, Yang. Sorry, I was just..." She couldn't even finish her sentence as a pang went through her head.

Yang's smile fell instantly at the sight of the girl.

Weiss was extremely pale, her pallor unmistakably sickly and expression clearly pained. It was evident that she couldn't even stand on her own.

Yang felt an uncomfortable prickle go up her spine and she frowned.

"H-Hey..." She rushed to the counter and leaned over a bit. "Weiss, what's wrong?"

The other girl shook her head and brought her hand away, offering an attempt at a smile.

"Nothing at all. What can I... get for you today...?"

Yang didn't even consider answering. She was feeling nauseous just by looking at Weiss; the poor girl looked like she'd fall over any second now-

And then she did.

It was just a mis-step, but Weiss slumped against the counter with a hiss of pain. Yang cried out, reaching over the counter to grab her hand and steady her as best she could.

"Easy!" she gasped. "Hey, hey, you gotta sit down."

"No. I need to do my job..."

Yang bit her lip; she should've known by now that Weiss was one of those stubborn people.

But Yang wasn't about to let her condition worsen. She kept a tight grip on Weiss' wrist for a minute, until she was sure the other girl could stand on her own.

"Don't move," Yang ordered, a bit firmly. "Just stay there for a sec, okay?"

Cautiously, she released Weiss' wrist before quickly scurrying around to the side of the counter. She lifted the moveable flap portion of the countertop, and that was the first time she noticed the step there.

Yang moved behind the counter and hurried over to Weiss, putting a hand to her back and the other on the front of her shoulder.

She'd never realized that all this time Weiss had been standing on an elevated part of the floor, which was why she'd always been the same height as Yang.

But now that they were on the same surface, Yang noticed just how small the girl was. Yang had at least four inches on her, possibly five. Aside from the time Yang herself had tripped and fallen and Weiss had rushed to her side, she'd never been this close to her before.

But Yang could easily feel the heat wafting off of her now. The girl's shoulders were shaking beneath Yang's palm, and Weiss' heart was thumping so hard that she could feel that, too.

"Whoa, whoa, hey..." Yang pulled Weiss close to her, feeling the girl couldn't last on her own two feet for much longer.

Weiss leaned into her weakly. Her eyes were closed, her head and chest were pounding, and she was trembling all over.

But when she breathed in, there was a pleasant scent around her, like lemonade.

She recognized that as Yang's scent.

"I'm sorry..." Weiss gasped. "I think I... need to sit down..."

"You bet you do," Yang agreed, keeping an arm around her. "C'mere. Take your time. Easy, _easy_..."

Yang coaxed her to the single chair and helped guide Weiss down. The blonde crouched beside her on the floor and dropped her gym bag, keeping a hand to Weiss' back, rubbing gently. All embarrassment or shyness was absent now as concern and the need to care for her took presidency.

She'd dealt with Ruby being sick before, but _this_ -

Seeing Weiss like this sent a different kind of worry shooting through her.

Yang kept one hand on Weiss' knee and the other on her back, brushing her ponytail aside as she peered up at the girl's flushed face.

"What's going on?" she asked gently.

It took Weiss another minute to catch her breath before she could re-open her eyes and form a reply.

"It's just... I received a lot of schoolwork and... there are exams coming up..." She trailed off, and Yang instantly understood. Weiss probably hadn't been sleeping enough recently and she'd fallen ill.

But it was when she heard a growling stomach that wasn't her own when Yang really grew anxious.

"Hey, hun, when was the last time you ate?"

Weiss heaved a shaky sigh.

"I... didn't have lunch or breakfast... I can't really remember... if I ate last night..."

"Weiss..."

Yang remained where she was for a few more minutes, crouched at the girl's side and rubbing her back for her. But she knew she needed to get some food in her and hydrate her as well. Weiss was running a bad fever and couldn't stop shivering.

Yang stood slowly, unable to stop herself from pulling Weiss into a gentle embrace. When the girl didn't protest or resist, Yang knew it was alright. She spoke to her softly.

"I'm gonna take care of you, okay? Don't worry about a thing. You just sit tight, okay?"

Yang looked down into her tired blue eyes, seeing just how exhausted Weiss was. Yang trailed her fingers lightly through the girl's bangs, damp with sweat.

"Hey, listen," she murmured. "Your heart's goin' really fast right now. I need you to slow it down for me, alright? Just take deep breaths. That's your only job right now, okay? Just breathe."

It wasn't easy, but Weiss did her best to follow the instructions.

Yang kept a hand on her back for a moment, until she could feel the girl's pulse begin to slow down.

"Good, that's better. Just relax, yeah? I'll help you out."

Yang forced herself to leave Weiss' side, just for a minute. She rushed out from behind the counter and hurried into the small restroom at the side of the shop. She pulled out some paper towels from the dispenser and wetted them with cool water before hurrying back to Weiss.

Yang dabbed the paper towels over the girl's cheeks and forehead, wiping away the sweat. Weiss whimpered, but it wasn't a pained sound this time, but rather it was relieved. Yang placed a few more damp paper towels in the girl's hands.

"Just use these, okay?"

She then looked down to the gym bag she'd dropped before and dug inside. She'd been so excited about wearing her dress today that she'd forgotten to eat her granola bar, but now Yang was thankful for that. She tore off the wrapping and handed it to Weiss.

"Eat," she begged. "Just a little bit is fine, but you gotta eat something."

Weiss gave a small nod and curled her fingers around the bar, bringing it to her lips for a nibble. Yang watched to make sure she ate a bit, and patted Weiss' back for her when she coughed a bit.

Yang continued dabbing the wet paper towels over her forehead until the feverish blush began to subside.

After a few minutes, Weiss had stopped trembling so much, and her breathing came easier. She'd eaten half of the granola bar when she gave a small grunt.

"What's up?" Yang asked instantly. "You okay?"

"Yes..." Weiss said. "My throat's just a little dry is all. But I can-"

"Oh, right, of course. Hold on, I got'cha covered."

Again, Yang dug into her bag, reaching past her folded workout clothes before her fingers brushed against a water bottle. She extracted it and held it out to Weiss.

"Oh, uh... I took a few sips after kickboxing. I could run across the street and buy you a new one."

She didn't like the thought of leaving Weiss here alone, but if she was quick-

"Don't worry about it," Weiss said. "This is fine... I-I mean if you... if it's alright with you."

Yang blinked in surprise.

"Yeah! Of course it is! Then if it's okay with you, drink all you need. Please," she urged. She reached down to the bottle in Weiss' lap to unscrew the lid and remove it for her.

Weiss brought the bottle slowly to her lips, feeling her pulse jump again at the thought of an indirect kiss with Yang.

The water was cool and refreshing as it flowed down her arid throat, effectively cooling her down from the inside. Weiss sighed again once she'd finished drinking. Yang put the cap back onto the bottle, but let Weiss keep it.

"How're you feeling?" she asked. Before Weiss could answer, the blonde pressed her forehead to Weiss' to feel her temperature. "You've still got a bit of a fever. I think you should go home and rest. Is there someone you can call?"

Weiss was hesitant.

"I don't think it's that bad anymore. I should keep working-"

"Think about it this way," Yang stopped her, using a bargaining tone. "If you just take the rest of today off and get better, you can come back at a hundred percent tomorrow. If not, you'll only be giving fifty percent or less today, and you won't get better as quickly, so you'll still only give half of your best tomorrow, too. So don't you think it's better to just rest up today?"

Weiss listened carefully to her words.

"You're right," she agreed. "I'll do that..."

"Good. I'm glad." And she truly meant it.

Weiss reached into her apron's pocket and pulled out her cell phone, dialing a number. Yang stood and took a few steps back, not wanting to eavesdrop, but she couldn't help but listen as Weiss spoke.

"Papa? I'm... not feeling very well. I'm sorry, but is there anyone else who could take over the rest of my shift today?"

From what Yang could gather, Weiss worked things out with her father and a replacement would be on their way soon.

Until then, there was only one problem.

A group of customers was just coming in, but Yang didn't want Weiss to exert herself with tending to them. So the blonde made the snap decision to do it herself.

"Hello!" she said cheerfully to them. "Welcome to Schnee's Bakery! What can I get for you?"

She recited Weiss' greeting perfectly and with a smile, as though she were an employee there. If Weiss had been able to stand and do the work herself, she would have, but it was no use in her current condition.

So she stayed in her chair and coached Yang, directing her to where each kind of bread was and how to package things.

Yang had watched Weiss do it enough times, and she was sure to use napkins to pick up cookies and brownies individually, and though she had a bit of trouble with putting things into boxes, she did fairly well, all things considered.

Weiss heaved herself up only to work the register, and Yang was sure to keep an arm around the small of her back to keep Weiss standing.

They saw off the group of customers, and by then a middle-aged man with grey hair and matching eyes hurried in.

Weiss perked up instantly.

"Papa!"

"Weiss, sweetie."

He rushed to the side of the counter and Yang helped Weiss toward him, cautioning her to watch her step. She released Weiss into her father's arms as his daughter explained what had happened, how she'd felt sick and how Yang had helped her.

"I feel a bit better now," she said. "But I think... I want to go home and lie down..."

"Of course," he agreed, kissing her hair. He thanked Yang for her assistance as the blonde handed him Weiss' forgotten textbook and slung her own bag over her shoulder.

"Sorry for coming behind the counter without permission," she apologized.

"She was very skilled, Papa," Weiss chuckled softly, untying her apron. "We may have to hire her."

"We'll see about that," he said jokingly.

By the time Weiss' replacement worker had shown up, her father had thanked Yang at least ten times before he led Weiss to the door.

"I've brought the car," he informed his daughter. "I'll drive you home."

"Thank you, Papa," Weiss said tiredly. She then turned to glance back over her shoulder. "And thank you, Yang. Thank you... very much."

The blonde girl merely smiled.

"Feel better, Weiss."

"I'll text you," she promised.

Yang watched the father and daughter go before she herself exited the shop as well, bound for home.

She hadn't picked up any treats today, and when she met with Blake and Ruby she explained everything to them, though she left out a few details that she didn't need them to know, such as the indirect kiss.

Both girls expressed concern for Weiss, but Yang reassured them that she'd done all she could; hopefully Weiss was resting now.

Blake parted ways from them once they reached her house's street, and the sisters continued onward toward home together.

It was then when Yang's phone went off, and she checked to find a message from Weiss:

 ** _I'm home now and in bed. I'm going to sleep early tonight. Thank you again, Yang._ **

Yang smiled and finally was able to let herself relax as well.

 ** _I'm glad. Sleep well, and feel better! C3*_**

Sending the heart had been more out of habit than it had been intentional, but it was too late when she realized she'd already sent it.

A few minutes later, Yang received one last message from Weiss:

 ** _Thank you C3_**

Yang smiled again as she followed Ruby into the kitchen for supper.

* * *

 **A/N: Just to note that I wrote this months in advance and at the time just wanted to ignore the canon and have Weiss' dad be a nice guy in this fic haha. This mishap sure progressed things more than previous ones did!**

 ***And also, Fanfiction doesn't allow hearts or brackets in stories, so their "heart" is going to have to be a C3 with a C instead of a bracket.**

 **Ch5 preview: _Weiss had focused on going slowly that morning, moving and walking and eating experimentally to figure out what still aggravated her. But the headaches were gone, the shaking had stopped, and she was able to eat again in a healthy manner._**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Glad you guys are liking the Freezerburn as much as I am!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 5.

Despite Weiss' text message of reassurance, Yang couldn't help but feel a bit anxious for the remainder of the evening.

She wanted to text Weiss again to ensure she was doing well, and also simply because she enjoyed talking to the girl. But she restrained herself from doing as much, as she was certain Weiss was trying to rest as she'd promised.

Yang ended up tossing and turning in bed for an entire hour, unable to fall asleep. She just couldn't stop thinking about Weiss – which had been the case for the past two weeks – but this time, it was different.

Normally, she would think about her smile, her laugh, the way Weiss said her name.

But that night, Yang could only remember the way she'd nearly collapsed, how weak she'd been in Yang's arms, how badly she'd been shaking. Yang moaned into her pillow and bit the fabrics in frustration.

 _But she's fine now! She said so herself!_

It took a lot of effort to force her thoughts away from such things, but Yang drove her mind toward other possibilities instead.

 _Tomorrow... I'll make sure she's feeling better,_ Yang told herself.

She devised a small plan of sorts and made sure to keep her mind focused on that rather than the unsavory images of Weiss falling ill.

Yang fell asleep before long, her final saving grace being when she reminded herself Weiss had texted that little black heart right back to her.

* * *

In the morning, she rolled out of bed as Ruby jumped down out of hers.

The two sisters went about their normal routine, though Ruby couldn't stop herself from worriedly wondering aloud how Weiss was doing.

"Not sure," Yang answered her honestly. "I don't wanna text her just yet in case she's still sleeping. I'll message her in a little while."

"Okay..." her sister whimpered. "Let me know, okay?"

Yang ruffled her hair lightly.

"Sure."

Sensing the degree of the warm sunlight peeking in through the windows now, Yang slipped herself into a crop top and a mini-skirt.

The sisters headed down for breakfast with their parents, and then were off.

Yang watched as Ruby headed off with Blake at her side, briefly wondering what it would be like to have someone walk with her as well. She realized she'd only ever started thinking about such things right after she'd met Weiss, and Yang knew she wouldn't have liked to have just _anyone_ at her side.

She followed her usual path to the kickboxing building, and by that time it was almost noon. Feeling it was an appropriate time to message Weiss, Yang fished out her cell phone from her bag and composed a text:

 ** _G'morning! How are you feeling?_ **

She stood in the doorway for a few seconds as she waited for a reply, until some other people trying to enter bumped into her. Yang apologized and quickly moved aside, scurrying into the locker room to begin changing.

That was a new development, too; whenever she was thinking about Weiss, she kind of lost herself.

She changed a little slower than usual, intent to wait for a responding text, but even after fifteen minutes there was nothing. Yang didn't know if she should feel guilty for potentially waking the girl up, or worried that she was so sick she was still sleeping.

Those were the only two possible scenarios in her mind at the time.

She was thinking about Weiss even more so than she usually was that day, enough to drag her focus in class away from the exercises.

Yang had partnered herself up with a boy named Neptune in class for sit-ups, leg-lift exercises and the other stretches that were normal for their routine.

She had a mock sparring match against him, throwing a few powerful punches and kicks at him, though they were never meant to make contact. The point of that particular exercise was to be mindful of your opponent and then be able to predict and dodge their movements.

When it came Yang's turn to evade, she spaced out with more thoughts of Weiss, and ended up with a foot in her face.

She was sent reeling down onto the mats, crashing hard enough to have the wind knocked out of her. Neptune hurriedly went to offer to help her up, spouting apologies all the while.

But Yang ignored his hand and pushed herself up.

"Nah, sorry! That was my fault! I wasn't payin' attention! Don't worry about it." She insisted she was fine and continued with the rest of the lesson.

When the hour was finally up, she stumbled back to the changing room, bound for the bathroom to wet some paper towels. She cleaned her face off and sat heavily down on one of the benches near her bag.

"Ow..." She put a hand to her sore cheek and rubbed gently. "Guess I deserved it, though. I needed a wake-up call. Gotta stop daydreaming or next time I'll get a broken nose."

Nursing her injured cheek with more wet paper towels, Yang sat there for several minutes as the other girls changed and conversed.

It was Pyrrha, her long-time training buddy, who came to Yang to check on her.

"Is your cheek still bothering you?" she fretted. "I can get you some ice. You should've said something sooner!"

"Nah, it's fine," Yang said. "See?" She gave a grin, not expecting it to hurt so much. She winced and Pyrrha frowned.

"Well, at least he didn't break your cheekbone or knock out a tooth. Just be sure to ice it when you get home, alright?"

"Will do!"

By then, Yang realized she still needed to change, so she stood and rummaged through her bag for her clothes. Her cell phone dropped out along with them, and Yang hastily reached out to catch it.

There was a small red bubble to indicate she had a message, and Yang quickly tapped the screen to view it. The instant she saw it was from Weiss, she forgot the pain in her face and smiled again.

The message read:

 _ **Good morning! Sorry I took so long to reply. Father insisted I take the morning off today, so I was in the shower. I'm feeling much better though! I'll be at the bakery starting at noon. Hope to see you there!**_

Yang's heart lifted as all soreness and exhaustion from today's kickboxing lesson dissipated within seconds. She typed back a reply quickly:

 ** _Sorry I didn't reply either! I was at kickboxing! I'll see you soon!_ **

She sent it and closed her phone before peeling off her sweaty clothes and freshening up more swiftly than she normally did.

She wished her friends and instructors goodbye before hurrying out the doors.

Her crop top and skirt caught the breeze in a nice way, allowing her sticky skin to be caressed by a bit of cool. She didn't want to make herself sweaty all over again, so she didn't want to run, but the promise of seeing Weiss again had brought Yang to a power-walking pace within seconds.

It took her fifteen minutes to make the walk that had typically taken her almost thirty. Once there, Yang paused outside, spritzed on her perfume, put on a crooked smile, and stepped inside.

* * *

Weiss had truly felt better when she'd woken that morning, although she had admittedly slept in quite a bit.

But her father ensured her not to worry and that she could just go in for half a day and leave it to her fill-in person to cover her morning shift.

So Weiss had focused on going slowly that morning, moving and walking and eating experimentally to figure out what still aggravated her. But the headaches were gone, the shaking had stopped, and she was able to eat in a healthy manner again.

She really owed it to Yang for convincing her to take some time off yesterday, or else there was no doubt in Weiss' mind that right now that she'd still be at only fifty percent, or quite possibly lower.

Her father had driven her to the bakery just to be safe in knowing Weiss wouldn't have to exert herself with walking when she was still recovering. He promised to pick her up at closing time as well, because it was supposed to start raining around that hour.

Once her father had dropped her off and driven to his own office several blocks away, Weiss realized just how badly she'd missed the shop. She hadn't been here for about twenty-four hours, and for a day when she didn't have her college classes, that was the longest she'd ever been away from the bakery.

She relieved her fill-in of his position as Weiss took up her rightful spot behind the counter.

She served a dozen or so customers with an eager smile and much more vibrancy than she'd been able to muster for the past several days.

But before an hour was up, the lunchtime rush had died down, and only the radio music accompanied her in the shop.

Weiss took her usual lunch break, enjoying the usual packed salad and even treating herself to a few candies her father had brought home a few days ago.

It was then Weiss felt her phone buzz and checked it to find a text from Yang, announcing she would be here soon. Weiss felt her heart flutter all over again, her toes curling delightedly inside her shoes.

She waited a few more minutes until she could hear the sound of someone walking in, and past the scents of bread and brownies was the pleasant smell of citrus.

Weiss stood instantly with a smile on her face. She didn't even bother with the usual greeting before she called out:

"Yang!"

The blonde perked up instantly, her grin widening until it hurt, but she didn't care. Weiss looked ten times better than she had yesterday, and just seeing that washed a wave of relief over Yang.

"Weiss!"

She wasn't really thinking when she scurried around to the side of the counter where the moveable top piece was located. Weiss' feet ended up carrying her to that spot as well.

Yang paused beneath the little step as Weiss moved the top of the counter out of the way. Standing on the elevated flooring, she was eye-level with Yang now.

Both paused just inches away from one another.

When they both realized their arms had been outstretched for a hug, both girls turned pink and took a step back.

"Glad you're feelin' better!" Yang mumbled sheepishly.

"I am. And it's thanks to you."

Weiss couldn't stop smiling at her, although her heart was starting to act up again.

An air of awkwardness floated between them.

Each wanted to hug the other, for many reasons, and for no real reason at all. But they didn't think it would be appropriate unless it was justified somehow, and neither could think of an excuse to allow it to happen.

Weiss could see the same conflicting emotions in Yang's lavender eyes as the blonde girl was seeing in her blue ones:

 _I want to._

 _Me, too._

 _Can we?_

 _I don't know..._

Weiss' smile faded first, the uncertainties taking over all else in her mind as she fumbled for words.

"So... what can I get for-"

But she stopped when she caught sight of motion from Yang.

The taller girl – who appeared to be the same height as Weiss from this standpoint – opened her arms without words.

It was almost like she was saying: _It's fine. No one has to know._

And Weiss silently agreed with her.

Her smile returned as she stepped up slowly, until the tips of her shoes were on the edge of that little step, just above Yang's ankles. Yang was waiting for her to move first, so Weiss closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around the blonde girl's shoulders and squeezing gently.

It was then she felt the strong pair of arms cover her back and shoulders. Weiss could easily feel just how muscular Yang's arms were against the clothes over her own smaller back; it would've been easy for Yang to exert too much force and cause pain.

But she never did that, never even came close to it. Yang was very gentle with her, especially in knowing she was still recovering from being sick.

Weiss found she fit so perfectly in her arms, and chest-to-chest like this, she could feel Yang breathing deeply. She was very warm, and Weiss knew that parting wouldn't come easily, so she savored the softness for as long as she could, trying to make that moment last for as long as possible.

She closed her eyes and breathed in the lemony smell, and judging by the way Yang was still holding onto her even after half a minute, the blonde was enjoying this too.

Both knew they could only keep this going for so long before it might become an issue if someone else were to walk in, but Yang made sure to at least make it last a full minute.

"I'm glad you're better," she repeated, simply to have something to say. "Did you sleep enough?"

"Plenty." Weiss finally pulled away, letting her arms fall back to her sides. "And what about you?"

"I slept pretty good, too!" Yang said. "Though for a while I was just thinking about y- I mean! I mean about that- that kitten again! That rolling kitten in the pet store haha! Yeah, I was wondering if he'd gotten adopted yet, but I fell asleep eventually!"

It was probably the sloppiest save of her life. Yang couldn't tell if Weiss believed her or had figured it out, but either way, the white-haired girl smiled.

"I'm sure he did," she mused. "Now then, I- Yang!" Her calm speech quickly rose into a gasp.

Yang jumped.

"Wh-What?"

"Your face!"

"Hey, I mean I know I'm not the hottest bacon strip on the stove, but-"

"No, you idiot!" Weiss snapped. "Not that! I mean you're hurt!"

Yang's eyes went wide as her little joke went unnoticed and two crystal-blue pools of worry stared back at her. With gentle fingers, Weiss reached out to brush them over Yang's bruised cheek.

"It's all purple. What happened?" Weiss demanded.

"Ahhh, that was from kickboxing this morning," Yang informed her. "My buddy nailed me in the face cause I was too busy thinkin' about-"

"Thinking about that kitten is going to get you killed!" Weiss huffed. "Did you put ice on it?"

"Huh? Uhh no, not yet-"

"Wait here."

With that, Weiss whipped around and hurried off.

Yang instantly missed the feather-light tickle of the girl's fingertips on her sore skin. She watched as the swaying white ponytail disappeared behind a small door. She emerged a few seconds later with a bundle of paper towels in her hand, strutting over to Yang and halting just in front of her.

"Hold still."

Weiss reached out and pressed the paper towels to the blonde girl's bruised cheek. Yang flinched when she realized there were ice cubes inside, and a sudden chill made her shiver. But the cold also numbed all the aches and soreness on her cheek, and she let out a long sigh.

Yang was a little surprised at Weiss' intensity about the matter, but her high level of concern also flattered Yang to no end.

Weiss padded the ice around slowly against her injured cheek for a moment longer.

"Does that feel better?"

"It's perfect~" Yang hummed. "Ahhh thanks, Weiss..."

"Hush. This is nothing compared to what you did for me yesterday."

"Aw shucks, don't worry about that. The important thing is that you're better now. Don't worry about-"

"Don't talk so much when I'm trying to heal your cheek!"

"Sorry, sorry~" Yang grinned and chuckled as Weiss continued to hold the ice to her face. It was beginning to melt a little bit, and was dripping down Yang's neck. Weiss wiped her own drenched hand on her apron. "Hold onto that until it melts," she ordered Yang. "If worse comes to worst, I can always hold your face onto the refrigerated display case, if you'd like."

"As tempting as that sounds, I think I'll stick to the ice, but thanks!"

They both chuckled a bit before stepping away.

Weiss put the moveable countertop back into place, and headed back toward the register.

Yang placed her order for a few loaves of bread and a baker's dozen of cookies, this time getting half chocolate-chip and half sugar cookies. She paid, and as per usual, and Weiss handed her a small treat on the house.

"It's just a small one today," she warned. "Don't aggravate your cheek by chewing too much."

"Sure thing," Yang agreed.

But she didn't head out the door like she usually did. Instead, she took a seat at one of the little tables. Weiss sent her a puzzled look.

"Are you not going home? Not that you aren't welcome to stay," she quickly added. "But you never have before."

"Yeah, just for a bit, if that's alright."

"Of course."

Honestly, Weiss was already enjoying the thought of having Yang stick around for a little while longer.

Yang put her food down on the small table and nibbled at her brownie while still holding the melting ice onto her cheek. She pulled out her phone and sent Ruby a text:

 ** _I'm gonna stay at the bakery for a while longer today to make sure Weiss is alright, so you and Blake don't wait up for me!_**

Ruby replied with an **_Okie-doki! ; )_** and Yang blushed at the emoji and quickly put her phone away.

She took small bites of the brownie as she tended to her sore cheek, but it was feeling loads better already.

That was the first time she really got to enjoy the shop – its music, its atmosphere, its detailed vintage wallpaper and doilies.

She chatted with Weiss for a while, just about casual things like her upcoming tests tomorrow and about business in the bakery.

When customers started filing in once more, Yang held her tongue and watched Weiss work her magic.

She was a very charismatic salesgirl, charming and efficient, and all of her customers were taken care of within minutes. Just from watching her, Yang could easily see just how dearly she loved this job.

It made her smile, and even long after the ice cubes had melted and Yang had wiped her face and neck with the damp paper towels, she stayed in her seat.

A few hours passed, and the tranquil scene was getting to her: the calming music, the warm scents of food, the hypnotic flow of people going in and out...

. . .

Weiss went about her work normally, occasionally stealing a glance at Yang to give her a smile, and when there was a quiet moment, she'd talk to her a bit.

It was only an hour before closing time when she looked over the counter and discovered that Yang had fallen asleep at her table, arms folded as a makeshift pillow as she rested her head sideways on them. Her bruised cheek was exposed, as Weiss imagined that putting pressure on it would only hurt.

But this way, she had a clear view of Yang's sleeping face.

Her shoulders rose and fell softly, and with every other breath a golden strand of long, loose hair would slip down her arm. When Weiss listened past the music, she could hear a little snore, and hid a giggle behind her palm.

A while later, the sun disappeared behind dark clouds, and Weiss recalled it was supposed to rain this evening. She grabbed her coat from the back of her chair behind the counter and hurried to the main door of the shop to close it, keeping out the rain and cold air.

She couldn't help but go to Yang then.

The other girl was sleeping directly in line of the draft, wearing a shirt that exposed her arms, collar, and stomach, and a mini skirt.

Weiss huffed. "You're going to catch a cold," she muttered.

Carefully, she removed her jacket and draped it around Yang's shoulders and back, covering her as best she could to shield her from the little chill coming in past the doorframe.

Yang didn't stir all the while as Weiss patted her hands over her back, spreading out the jacket to cover as much exposed skin as possible. When she was finished, Weiss paused, looking closely at the blonde's adorable sleeping face.

She didn't think when she leaned down and ever so gently pressed her lips to Yang's sore cheek.

"Rest well," she whispered.

Weiss retreated back to the counter and served the last of the customers who hurried in just as closing time rolled around. She sent off the last of them with some warm bread to enjoy once they got home and were out of the rain.

Weiss said goodbye to the bakers as they hurried for the door to their cars.

And then, Weiss found herself alone in the shop with a sleeping Yang.

She knew her father would be here soon to pick her up, but until then, Weiss busied herself with cleaning the tables and countertops.

At last, she removed her apron and hung it up before stepping back down onto the main floor, bound for Yang. Weiss enjoyed the girl's peaceful expression for a moment longer before she reached down to tap her shoulder.

"Yang?" she whispered. "Time to wake up."

For Yang, it was like being woken by the voice and touch of an angel. She blinked her eyes open sleepily, and found that Weiss' face was the first thing she saw.

"Weiss..." Her jaws parted in a loud yawn. "I'm... whoa, I'm still here? Crap, sorry-"

"It's quite alright," Weiss said. "I only woke you because it's closing time. But I'm worried." Her eyes flashed down to Yang's outfit, then back up to her eyes. "It's pouring out now. Do you have someone you could call to drive you home?"

Yang sat up, discovering the jacket that had been blanketing her shoulders. A glance at her phone told her it was nearly 7PM.

"Ahh, nah. I can run and be back home in five minutes."

"Are you sure? I can have my father drive you."

"No, no!" Yang blurted out. "I mean thanks, but you don't have'ta go through all the trouble." She'd been able to handle seeing him yesterday, but being in his fancy car with him driving and Weiss with her as well-

Yang didn't think she was ready.

Clearly, Weiss wasn't satisfied with her response, though.

"Then if you can't get a ride home, you have to take this with you." She patted the jacket on Yang's back.

"Huh? But it's yours-"

"No excuses," Weiss huffed. "If you insist on walking home in this rain, then you've got to at _least_ wear something with a hood." Her disapproving tone soon changed to a softer one. "Just give it back to me on Friday, alright?"

Yang knew she would've been acting the same way if hers and Weiss' positions had been reversed, so she spared the girl the stress of worrying about her and accepted the offer.

"Alright," she said, getting to her feet. "Thank you, Weiss."

She slipped her arms into Weiss' jacket, finding it a bit small on her, but she managed to zipper it up nonetheless. It smelled like frost but wasn't cold at all.

She then gathered her box of cookies and secured the plastic bags with the bread in them to ensure they wouldn't get wet.

Weiss watched her all the while.

"I hope your cheek feels better," she murmured.

"It will! You took good care of it today!" Yang grinned, and it was still a little lopsided, but Weiss found it exceedingly sweet.

She very nearly lost herself and was fully intent to strain up onto her tiptoes to kiss that cheek again, but a beeping car horn from outside stopped her.

"Oh!" Weiss gasped. "Papa's here. I've got to go." She reached into her skirt pocket and extracted a key, ushering Yang toward the door. "Are you _sure_ we can't give you a ride home? It's no trouble, really."

"It's fine, Weiss. Thanks, though," Yang said as she followed her to the door.

"Fine," she huffed. "Just text me when you're home, alright?"

"Sure, sure~ Oh, and good luck tomorrow on your exams in school! You'll do great!"

Weiss hadn't known how much she'd needed those words of encouragement until Yang spoke them.

"Thank you."

Before they could open the door, Weiss reached up to hug Yang one last time. The blonde slipped her free arm around the small of Weiss' back and squeezed lightly.

When they parted, Yang put her hand on the door.

"Get ready to make a run for it."

Weiss nodded and flicked off the lights in the bakery.

Together, they pushed out the door and were instantly met with a gust of wind and wetness. Weiss hurriedly locked the door before she rushed out to the street toward the waiting headlights of her father's car. She turned back to look at Yang just before getting inside.

"Don't forget to text me, Yang!" she called.

The blonde girl gave a wave and a nod, watching as Weiss got into the car before she herself headed off toward home. She pulled the hood up over her head as she jogged back.

Weiss' scent and the softness of her borrowed jacket made the trek home much more enjoyable, and even when Yang pushed in through the front door, she kept the jacket on for a while.

She informed her family where she'd been and sat down with them for dinner, then texted Weiss that she'd made it home.

It wasn't until Ruby asked about "that cute blue jacket" when Yang realized she'd yet to take it off. She merely said that a friend had lent it to her, an explanation her parents accepted, but Ruby knew there was much more to.

Thankfully, her little sister kept her mouth shut about Weiss.

After showering and changing into her pajamas, Yang put Weiss' jacket in the laundry and headed to bed.

When she checked her phone, there was a goodnight message and a little black heart waiting for her.

Yang returned the message and smiled as she curled up in bed, and her cheek didn't hurt at all.

* * *

 **A/N: And with this, we are halfway done! Next chapter, Yang needs to survive Thursday without seeing her dear crush!**

 **Ch6 preview:** **_Today dragged on almost painfully slowly._**

 ** _She knew she shouldn't have, but during her kickboxing class, she continuously glanced at the clock, hoping the hour would be over already, hoping the entire day would be over already so tomorrow could be here and she could see Weiss again._**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I can't tell you how many reviews I got about the text heart... It was supposed to be a caret followed by a three, but _as I said in my note_ , this website doesn't accept carets/brackets, which was why I chose to us a C and a 3 instead. Please read my notes, guys.**

 **Anyway, hope you're liking this fic. We're halfway done now!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 6.

Waking up the next morning was a little strange for Yang.

As had been the case for the past two weeks, the first thought on her mind the second she was conscious was about Weiss. The promise of seeing Weiss would be what always got her out of bed and encouraged her to dress halfway decently.

But today, it seemed even the weather was dreary about the fact that Weiss wouldn't be at the bakery.

It was a grey day, misty and drizzling, the air thick and muggy.

Ruby was making disgusted faces as she went about putting her clothes on. Yang didn't even bother putting in the usual effort for her outfit today – what was the point if she couldn't look good for Weiss?

She stuck to a baggy t-shirt and sweatpants today, tying her hair in a messy low ponytail in advance.

It was after she'd finished breakfast and had been packing her workout clothes that she considered a thought. Weiss' jacket had been washed and dried since last night, and she debated if it would be appropriate or not for her to wear it today.

She went into the family laundry room and pawed through the piles of clean clothes before extracting the blue jacket that was a little too small on her. She held it out in front of herself for a moment, debating her options in her mind.

In the end, despite the fact that she would've liked to breathe in Weiss' scent as she walked around town today, she decided against wearing the article for fear she'd somehow get it dirty or damaged.

Plus, if the boy at the bakery recognized the jacket on her instead of Weiss, it was very possible he could make an offhand comment to his boss.

Yang shuddered a bit.

She didn't know why she was so nervous about Mr. Schnee. From what she knew of him, he was a very kind man and Weiss loved him a lot.

For Yang, the nerves were more about having to explain her feelings towards Weiss than anything else.

Yang had never been the best with words; she was more of an action-taker. So using words to sort out her feelings wasn't exactly on her list of talents.

And yet... a certain memory from the previous evening surfaced in her mind just then.

Yang's hand went to her sore cheek as she remembered it: slumped at one of the little tables, she'd been partially awake when she'd heard soft footsteps approaching her. She'd been a second too late to move or open her eyes, and boy was she glad about that.

She'd known it was Weiss by the scent that had drifted around her, and by the familiar presence over her shoulder.

And Yang had... _felt_ something.

On her cheek.

And she was pretty convinced that it had been a kiss.

She hadn't opened her eyes at the time, nor addressed it yesterday evening, but she'd thought about it for at least an hour as she'd laid in bed last night.

Her biggest dilemma was that she wasn't _one hundred percent_ sure it had been real. It easily could've been a figment of her imagination, a dreamlike whisper of Weiss imposed by Yang's own desires and wishes.

She couldn't be sure if it had been real or not, and that was what was clawing away at her distressed heart this morning.

With a sigh, she presently folded Weiss' jacket neatly in her arms and carried it back to her room, placing it at the foot of her bed to ensure she would remember to take it with her tomorrow. She got the idea to text Weiss at present, wishing her good luck on her college exams.

The response was almost instantaneous, as though Weiss had already had her phone in her hand:

 ** _Thank you. I feel much better now and I'll do my best. I'll text you after I've gotten home today if that's alright._**

Yang grinned just reading her words; the times Weiss had offered to text Yang, and the times Yang herself had initiated a conversation with her, were about the same amount.

Knowing that Weiss was equally as interested in talking to her gave the blonde girl a bit of hope and confidence.

 ** _Of course! I'll talk to you later!_** Yang replied.

She discovered she was a fan of texting Weiss, mainly because she had a bit of time to think of what she wanted to say first, a luxury she didn't have much of during real life conversations when her heart was going a mile a minute.

Also with texting, there was no risk of stammering, and the worst she could do was send a typo.

So in a way, there wasn't a lot of pressure on her that morning, but there was also a lack of motivation to step out the front door.

As she left Ruby with Blake and began walking to kickboxing, there was that constant little reminder tugging at the back of her thoughts – the reminder that she wouldn't be seeing Weiss today.

Time always seemed to fly by when there was the promise of getting to hear her voice and see her smile.

But today dragged on almost painfully slowly.

She knew she shouldn't have, but during her kickboxing class, she continuously glanced at the clock, hoping the hour would be over already, hoping the entire _day_ would be over already so tomorrow could be here and she could see Weiss again.

But every glance at the clock told her only a few minutes had passed.

She had to wonder why she was tormenting herself like this; if she would just be _patient_ , she'd enjoy her lesson and the remainder of the day instead of rushing through it.

But it was difficult to be patient when she was crushing on Weiss this hard, and the need to hear her voice and see her pretty smile was overwhelming, almost a necessity for her survival.

Yang had a love-hate relationship with Thursdays now: it was her day to wind down and not get overly-excited about seeing Weiss, but it was also _the only day she couldn't see Weiss._

When her kickboxing class had finally ended, it was still 1PM as it always was, even though it felt like it should've been 4PM with how long it had dragged on in her mind.

Yang changed clothes, not caring about how unkempt her hair looked or how wrinkled her clothes were. She freshened up, but didn't bother with the perfume; she had no one to try to impress today.

The weather was still lousy as she stepped outside and began her walk to the bakery. All the way there, she couldn't help but think of the possibility that maybe Weiss _would_ be there.

But the reminder of their text messaging conversation this morning proved otherwise, and when Yang walked into the shop, it was the same boy from last week who greeted her.

She gave the usual grin and placed her order, and with no reason to linger, was out of the shop in minutes. Her granola bar had to suffice as her only snack as she walked down the street to meet up with Ruby and Blake.

They could both tell that Yang was a little disheartened without her favorite person to see, but they also found her pouting rather adorable.

Once they'd reached the street where they needed to part ways, Blake was sure to pat Yang's back for her.

"Don't be so glum," she soothed. "Weiss will be there again tomorrow, won't she?"

Yang puckered her lip pitifully for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah..."

"That's good," Blake went on. "Today's almost over, so just keep your chin up and look forward to seeing her again tomorrow. Don't show up looking like that."

"I know, I know." Yang rolled her eyes, but cracked a smile. "Thanks, Blake."

She hugged her friend for a moment, glad to know that Blake understood her downtrodden feelings today.

Before she left the sisters, Blake was sure to murmur to Ruby; "Try not to talk about Weiss too much tonight, okay? It'll only make her more depressed. But tomorrow morning, remind her she can see her again."

Ruby gave a salute and nodded.

"Right! Yes ma'am!"

She hugged Blake goodbye as well before scurrying off after her big sister.

Ruby did as Blake had said and didn't mention Weiss that evening as she ate dinner and enjoyed the cookies afterward.

For a few hours, Yang constantly checked her phone for messages, and every time she found there were none, her shoulders slumped a little bit more.

 _Did she forget?_ she wondered. _Should I text her first? Or maybe she's tired and doesn't want to talk...?_

Her deflation about a lack of response from Weiss only demonstrated just how much time Yang spent thinking about her.

The instant her cell phone vibrated around 6PM, just as she was cleaning dinner plates, a bright smile lit up Yang's face.

The message read:

 ** _I'm home! The exams weren't so bad. I think I did well. How was your day?_ **

Yang hastily wiped her hands off on a towel before fumbling a reply:

 ** _That's awesome! I'm glad you're done for today! And my day was alright, thanks~_ **

That was another thing about communicating through text: lying was pretty easy.

But even as she sent that message, Yang felt a bit guilty. She felt it was okay when _she_ was the one lying to Weiss as not to worry her, but she realized she would never want Weiss to lie to her for the sake of preserving Yang's good mood.

It was at that very moment Yang decided she would never lie to Weiss again, and she quickly typed up another message:

 ** _Actually tbh my day was a little crappy. Just because I kinda missed you..._ **

She looked it over and bit her lip. But before she could regret it, she closed her eyes and pressed SEND.

Then it was a waiting game for about a minute or so, and the blonde girl held her breath. When the reply came, she read over it anxiously. Weiss replied:

 ** _I'm a little relieved you said that. Because if you'd been having a really good day today, it would've meant you weren't even a little sad about missing me like I was missing you. Today felt like it lasted an entire week. I can't wait to see you again tomorrow, Yang._ **

Once she'd read it, Yang swayed a bit and needed to lean against the counter for support, her heart already kicking into overdrive as she replied:

 **_Yeah! I missed you a LOT Weiss. I can't wait for tomorrow when I can see you again!_ **

Ruby walked into the kitchen with a cookie in her mouth to find her big sister grinning and giddy, leaning over the sink with her phone in her hands. It was easy to tell she was texting Weiss, and Ruby knew her sister wouldn't be able to concentrate on her chores any longer.

So she went over and gently pushed her big sister away from the sink, catching her gaze with a wink.

"I'll finish the dishes," she said, swallowing her cookie. "You just have fun texting her."

Yang was very surprised by her little sister's offer.

"What? You sure? I can still-"

"Noooo, no," Ruby hushed her. "You'll end up only half-washing them and then we'll have to do them all over again. So just text her all you want, 'kay?"

A swell of pride filled Yang's chest as she wrapped her little sister up in a tight, tight hug.

"You're the best wingman ever, Ruby!"

"Yeah, yeah..." The brunette hugged her sister back with a chuckle. "Now get outta here!" she said with an affectionate push to Yang's arm.

The blonde blew her a kiss before hurrying up to their bedroom. She changed out of her baggy clothes and into her pajamas before flopping down onto her bed, her full focus now on messaging Weiss.

They texted about the same things as they did every other night, starting with casual conversation and following whatever random tangents popped up along the way.

When Ruby came into the room and climbed up onto her top bunk bed, Yang took the hint that it was time to head to bed. She wished Weiss a good night and promised to see her tomorrow.

The little black heart was a regular symbol in their conversations now.

Yang got out of bed to brush her teeth, and when she came back into the bedroom, she wished Ruby sweet dreams.

After the lights were off, Yang picked up Weiss' blue jacket from the foot of her bed and held it to her chest for just a moment.

Then, with a content sigh, she laid down in bed, her mind once more considering the possibility that Weiss really _had_ kissed her cheek yesterday evening. She still couldn't be sure, and Yang knew she might never know.

After being so anxious after only being away from Weiss for one day, and the fact that her mind had only been occupied with thoughts of her for just about every waking second, Yang knew she had to do something. To take action.

It was that night she realized that she was _sure_ about her feelings for Weiss, surer than ever before.

It had only been around two weeks, but within that short amount of time, she'd been through a lot together with Weiss, bad and good, but every time it always ended with a smile, a hug, or a little black text heart.

It was enough to give her confidence in thinking Weiss might've felt the same.

As she lay in bed that night, she decided to make an effort to convey her feelings – tomorrow.

She spent a while just lying there and thinking about how she would go about it; she wasn't the best with words in real-time conversation, but this was something Yang didn't want to text to Weiss. She felt she should do it in person, face-to-face.

Just before sleep took her that night, she decided on a course of action.

* * *

In contrast to yesterday's drizzly haze, Weiss woke Friday morning to more sunlight.

With the stress of her college exams over, she didn't have any assignments to worry about either, therefore she was keen on enjoying today to the fullest.

The promise of seeing Yang was of course a wonderful added bonus.

After getting dressed and eating breakfast, she went to her closet to get a small jacket to wear in the early-morning air. It was then she remembered Yang still had her favorite one, and the memories of two evenings ago came back to her.

She still couldn't believe she'd actually mustered up the courage to kiss the girl's cheek, and even just thinking about it now made her face heat up.

She decided against a jacket in the end, knowing she'd soon have the blue one Yang had borrowed to wear on the way home.

With her father already gone to work, Weiss ate breakfast, packed herself a lunch, and headed out.

She passed the flower shop and wished the old woman good morning before arriving at the bakery.

Weiss went through the clockwork routine of greeting her coworkers and putting on her apron before turning toward the door to prepare for the day.

* * *

Yang's excitement was no secret today.

She bounced out of bed and hugged Weiss' jacket to her chest, nuzzling into it for a second before she remembered what she'd planned to do.

Today.

Today she was going to confess to Weiss.

And she knew exactly how she'd do it.

She didn't tell Ruby right away, but her little sister could clearly tell that something was up with Yang today. She deliberated her outfit for much longer than she usually did, and there seemed to be bubbles of sunlight and happiness popping off of her every second. Her excitement was contagious, and it didn't take Ruby long to inquire.

"Yang? What's gotten into you?"

Her sister had selected a dress to wear today, and Ruby had only seen her do that a handful of times within the past six months.

But this time, it wasn't for a special family gathering or an important dinner – it was because Yang _wanted_ to wear it today.

The blonde was humming merrily, using her excitement to fend off the inevitable jitters and nerves that were building up with it all. She tilted her head back over her shoulder, her luscious hair falling down her back as she met her little sister's gaze.

"I'm gonna tell her!" she beamed.

Ruby blinked in surprise.

"Tell her? You mean-"

"Yeah, yeah just don't make me say it, 'kay? Ahaha..." She put a hand behind her head and chuckled nervously. "So um... wish me luck, yeah?"

"Of course!" Ruby threw her arms around her sister zealously. "Yang, this is so exciting! Good luck! Blake and I will wait for you so you can tell us how it went!"

"Yeah... got it..." Yang hugged her sister back, needing the support a little bit.

She folded Weiss' jacket into her gym bag and slung it over her shoulder before following Ruby downstairs and out the door. Ruby wished her luck again before scurrying over to Blake to share the news.

Yang had made sure to start walking before either of them could stop her or tease her.

The excitement exchanged itself for more nervousness with every step, but she had to clear her head as best she could for kickboxing, lest she suffer another hit to the face.

The bruise had faded from her cheek by now, and she was intent to go to Weiss today without purple blotches on her face.

Yesterday, kickboxing seemed to drag, but today, it went by a little _too_ quickly for Yang. By the time she found herself back in the changing room, she felt she needed more time to prepare herself for what she planned to do.

She dressed slowly, ensuring she'd cleaned every drop of sweat off her arms, chest, and face before she applied the perfume. She adjusted her dress time and again, brushing through her hair to make it super soft.

She spent an extra fifteen minutes preparing herself that day before she finally slung her bag over her shoulder and headed out back the way she'd come.

She took her time in walking, not wanting to mess up her appearance or get sweaty again. Yang kept her head high and her chest puffed out, resolving herself to this.

She didn't exactly have a deadline for confessing, nor did she have any competition that she knew of. But she just wanted to do this now before she fell even deeper and harder for Weiss.

If she was going to be rejected, she'd rather have it happen sooner, not later.

Even at her slower pace, Yang felt as though she still needed more time once she reached the designated street. She reminded herself she needed to make a certain stop first, however.

As she headed for the bakery, she halted a few shops away at the little flower store. The old woman Yang had come to recognize came out to greet her, asking her what she could help Yang with.

The girl mulled her thoughts over a bit as she thought.

"I didn't really have anything specific in mind," she said. "I'm just gonna go with my gut!"

She ended up selecting just a single flower – nothing extravagant. She feared a lavish bouquet might pressure Weiss into giving the answer Yang wanted to hear, even if it wasn't how the other girl truly felt.

So she purchased a single white flower with a yellow center, and slipped the long stem into her bag. She concealed the petals and head of the flower with her arm before thanking the woman and taking off toward the bakery.

What Yang failed to realize was that she'd taken a bit long in getting there today.

. . .

Weiss' lunch break had already ended, and customers were beginning to file in for the afternoon crowd.

She had waited for Yang, expecting to hear her enter during Weiss' break time, but she'd never come.

Worried, Weiss longed to message her, but before she had the chance to pull out her phone, there were too many customers to attend to.

Yang had never been late before, so she was naturally getting a little concerned, but Weiss did her best not to let it distract her from work.

There was an excess of customers that afternoon, including a group of about thirty children who were stopping by for a birthday party. They each got whatever sweets they wanted and the parents paid for them, so Weiss was constantly swamped. She hurried around to grab every requested cookie and cake slice, packaging them up before handing them out and then rushing to the register.

All the while, she kept her eye on the door, but there was no sign of Yang.

 _I guess she's just not coming today..._ she assumed.

After that, Weiss stopped looking up at the door, with no hopes to see her favorite customer. She simply focused on the other patrons and her job, telling herself she would text Yang later that evening.

. . .

When Yang _did_ finally enter, she found the shop crowded with people, more than she'd ever seen here at once before.

She realized her stalling had brought her here long after Weiss' break had ended, so now Yang wasn't able to have time alone with her.

When she slipped in through the crowds, Yang didn't call out for Weiss for fear she would distract her. Weiss didn't look for her, either.

Yang's shoulders slumped.

 _I can't do it. Not like this..._

Her heart was in her throat as she weaved through the crowded shop, out of Weiss' sight. She paused by the moveable countertop on the side, behind the display cases. This was the spot she'd hugged Weiss just a few days ago...

Her heart thumped a little harder at the memories, but she didn't linger longer than she had to.

She pulled the blue jacket from her bag, re-folded it, and placed it on the counter where no other customers would see it.

Then, Yang placed the white and yellow flower on top, securing its stem in a fold of the clothing.

With one last longing look to Weiss, Yang bit her lip and pushed her way out of the shop.

* * *

It was nearly two more hours before the influx of customers died down to the usual, steadier flow.

Weiss was exhausted and retreated back to her lunch bag to get a bottle of water.

It was then something caught her eye on the countertop. The blue color was familiar enough, and she rushed over to where her own jacket sat waiting for her.

"Oh..." Her voice was withering as it slipped out.

This meant Yang had _been_ here. She'd been here and Weiss had _missed_ her.

Instantly, she felt guilt clawing at her stomach as she picked up her jacket; it had been washed and dried.

Only then did she notice the white flower wrapped inside.

Weiss' heart jumped, and tears rushed to her eyes. She dug out her phone as quickly as possible and sent Yang a message:

 ** _Yang! I'm so sorry I missed you today! I feel awful. Please, please come tomorrow. I need to see you. I'm sorry..._ **

She bit her lip as she awaited the response, trying to calm herself by breathing in the scent of the flower.

When Yang replied, Weiss read it over with anxious eyes:

 ** _Hey, it's fine! Don't be upset. You were super busy. I understand. I'll be there tomorrow, okay?_ **

Weiss sighed in relief:

 ** _Yes, please come tomorrow. I promise I'll see you no matter what._ **

The response made her smile:

 ** _Alright! It's a promise! C3_**

Weiss sent the little black heart back to her and closed her phone. She tucked the flower's stem into her ponytail and wore it like that for the rest of the afternoon.

When it came time to go home, she closed up shop and slipped into her jacket.

It smelled faintly of citrus.

* * *

 **A/N: Ahh, a roadblock in their blossoming romance! Will they overcome it? Find out next week!**

 **Ch7 preview: _W_ _ith no one else in sight of the shop, Yang stepped forward._**

 ** _Unlike usual, Weiss wasn't sitting down and on her break just yet, but rather she was readily standing behind the counter and prepared to greet the next person who entered._**

 ** _Who just so happened to be Yang._**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**How lucky that this Freezerburn fic happened to be on my schedule during the new volume. And oh golly, that Freezerburn in episode 5 was so good.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 7.

It was a restless sleep for the both of them that night, and the next morning was weighted with nervous anticipation.

Yang, who usually slept in until about 10AM, woke at 8 due to the excitement she was swamped by, even when unconscious.

She knew Weiss was already awake at that time and most likely already at the bakery. Yang didn't want to have to wait until after kickboxing lessons to see her today; after missing Weiss yesterday, Yang wanted to see her as soon as possible now.

When she checked her cell phone, there was already a "good morning" message from Weiss, which was always a wonderful thing to wake up to.

Yang would usually reply to her when she woke around 10, but this morning, she didn't reply right away. She didn't want Weiss to know she would be stopping by early today, so a lack of a responding text message would make the girl assume Yang was still asleep.

She didn't even bother slipping into a dress this time – such preparation would take too long.

So she moved quietly about the room as Ruby slept, gathering a normal, bright blouse and pair of shorts. She carried them to the bathroom to change, surprised her parents by being up so early, ate a quick breakfast, brushed her teeth, then returned to her room.

She packed her clean workout clothes into the usual bag along with a granola bar and a bottle of water.

At last, she stepped onto the edge of her bed to peer up into Ruby's. Her little sister was still sleeping, a soft, lazy snore slipping past her lips. Yang reached out to pat her shoulder gently.

"Ruby? I'm heading out early. I gotta go... see Weiss."

She was thankful that Ruby was still half-asleep, or else she would've asked Yang a million questions on the spot. But Ruby could only manage to groggily lift her head and blink her eyes drearily.

"Mm what? Weiss? Hold on, I can come too-"

"No ya don't," Yang stopped her. "Go back to sleep. I'll tell you everything later, okay?"

Before Ruby could protest or start to ask any more questions, Yang leaned forward and kissed her forehead to pacify her. Ruby exchanged whatever she'd been about to say for a yawn, and instead flopped back down onto her pillow and closed her eyes.

Yang smiled as she hopped off the side of the beds. Zwei had waddled into the room, and she scooped the dog up and placed him on Ruby's bed for her to cuddle with.

Once ready, Yang headed downstairs and out into the warm summer day.

It was hard not to follow her usual path like clockwork and head towards town in her usual direction. Instead, she went the way Blake and Ruby would soon take a few hours from now.

Despite how early it was for her, Yang walked at a brisk pace, alert and attentive as she made for the bakery.

Since it was a Saturday, the streets and sidewalks were a bit less congested than usual, and she hoped it would be the same case with the bakery.

She passed the flower shop where she'd purchased the single stem yesterday, and once she caught the old woman's eye, Yang paused for a chat. The woman had a knowing glint in her eye as she addressed the teen.

"How did it go?" she wondered. "Giving that daisy to your sweetheart?"

"Wh-What?" Yang blurted. "She's not my- I-I mean not _yet-_ or maybe not ever, but-"

"Alright, alright, enough babble," the old woman said. "You go do what you have to do, dearie."

The words of encouragement boosted Yang's confidence a bit, and she dipped her head to the woman before continuing on her way.

The same pleasant scent of bread reached her nose before long, and Yang could see that a crowd had gathered up ahead at the bakery. She paused at the next building over, clutching the strap of her bag as she waited.

She didn't want to enter the shop when it was so busy, lest her presence distract Weiss from her work.

Besides, she didn't want her intended chat with Weiss to be interrupted by patrons, either.

So she waited for a good ten minutes or so for the people to file out of the shop, one by one.

Her stomach was doing backflips already; she could just faintly make out Weiss' voice calling greetings and farewells to the people.

When the last person left the shop with his bag of bread, Yang waited for a moment. She glanced around the streets and sidewalks, trying to determine if there appeared to be any other people bound for the bakery.

Part of her wanted more to show up so she could have more time to prepare herself. But the other part of her feared that waiting longer would only worsen her already-panicked nerves.

Therefore, with no one else in sight of the shop, Yang stepped forward.

Unlike usual, Weiss wasn't sitting down and on her break just yet, but rather she was readily standing behind the counter and prepared to greet the next person who entered.

Who just so happened to be Yang.

The second Weiss recognized her, the usual greeting broke out into a surprised cry of her name.

"Welcome to Schnee's- Yang!" With a gasp that she clearly feared had been a little too loud, Weiss promptly covered her mouth with her palm.

Yang couldn't help but smile a bit; clearly she'd caught the girl off-guard as intended.

"Surprise!" She grinned, sauntering in as if she weren't nervous enough to lose her breakfast right then and there.

"You're so early!" Weiss exclaimed. "I didn't expect you until later-"

"That was the point. I wanted to see you as soon as possible today."

As Yang walked closer to the counter, she noticed something different about Weiss' appearance. Other than the usual pretty white blouse beneath her blue apron, the soft, gleaming white hair, the sparkling blue eyes, and dazzling smile, there was an extra splash of a new color Yang had never seen on her before.

Peeking out over Weiss' right ear was the flower Yang had brought for her yesterday, with the little yellow center.

Upon seeing it, Yang couldn't help but grin goofily.

"So I guess you liked it, huh?" Her eyes flicked to the flower.

Weiss promptly nodded.

"Yes..." She reached up to touch the white petals gently. "I was so upset that I missed you yesterday... Thank you for washing my jacket, and thank you for the flower, Yang. It made me very happy." She paused for a second and took a breath, her smile fading just a little bit. "Is that... what you came here to talk about...?"

By then, Yang had reached the counter, and she stopped on the other side, one foot of polished marble between them now. The elevated flooring behind the counter put Weiss on eye-level with Yang, lavender meeting with mist-blue. Yang's smile also dwindled down, a silent indication as to how seriously she was taking this.

"Yeah," she confirmed. "I wanted to... talk to you... about some stuff... But like I said, I'm not really so good with words, s-so if you could just bear with me for a bit..."

She was already flustered, struggling to think of the right words to say even before she got to the heart of the matter. She needed to stop herself before she ended up babbling too much and making even more of a fool out of herself than she already had.

Weiss could clearly discern the blonde's dilemma, and it sent a pang through her chest just in seeing how difficult this was for Yang.

Perhaps she should've simply stayed quiet and let the other girl speak to the best of her abilities. But Weiss had a few things she wanted to say as well.

"If you don't mind..." she murmured, holding Yang's gaze. "May I speak first? Just for a moment."

She saw the relief in Yang's eyes at the request, relief that this would give her a bit more time to sort out her own thoughts. The blonde girl nodded, leaning forward against the counter a bit.

"Yeah, sure. Go right ahead."

"Thank you."

Weiss began by carefully removing the flower from behind her ear. As she pulled out the stem, a few strands of ivory hair followed after it, and it was all Yang could do to keep her hands from reaching out to tuck them back into place.

Weiss laid the flower down on the counter between the two of them, her fingertips brushing fondly over the delicate white petals.

"Yang," she began. "Do you know what kind of flower this is?"

Yang's eyes went wide at the unexpected question. She quickly dug back in her thoughts from this morning, scrambling to remember what the old woman had called it-

"Uh... a daisy... I think?"

Weiss nodded.

"That's exactly right. And do you know what a daisy symbolizes?"

Again, Yang felt her heart nearly stop.

"I-I um, I don't-" she stammered. "I- ahhh crap. I mean, I know there's a language of flowers and stuff like that, but I'm really sorry! I didn't think at the time to ask the meanings or anything like that. I just bought that one because it had the white petals and it reminded me of your hair, and I thought the yellow in the middle was kinda like mine and-"

"Calm down!" Weiss soothed with a smile. "Don't worry. It certainly doesn't symbolize something bad or anything like that. I know not everyone has the knowledge on the language of flowers like I do. But when I saw this daisy yesterday, I couldn't help but think of the meaning and I... it made me very happy, Yang."

Upon realizing that she hadn't given Weiss a flower that meant something offensive or hurtful, Yang relaxed a little bit. She remembered to exhale; if the flower had made Weiss happy, that was all she needed to know. Although, she was a bit curious now.

"So then... what does it symbolize?" she wondered.

A coy smile pulled at the corners of Weiss' lips as she replied.

"A daisy symbolizes innocence, purity, and loyalty," Weiss murmured. "Three of the most important things in the world, to me personally. It was a very touching gift to receive after a hectic day like yesterday. So thank you again, Yang."

The blonde nodded and did her best to reflect the smile. But internally, she was conflicted.

 _T_ _hose three things... they could easily be attributed to a friendship... but I want our relationship to be more than that..._

Her shoulders had unknowingly slumped a bit; she might have ruined her chances due to her own lack of mindfulness.

She didn't know what to say or do next. She liked to believe that friendship was where they were, and if that's where Weiss wanted to remain, Yang didn't want to push or pressure her into anything more than that.

So when she next spoke, Yang's voice was soft, withdrawn.

"I'm glad you like it."

Weiss nodded, though she could tell there was something off with Yang now. She cleared her throat and continued speaking, to the other girl's relief.

"And of course, as you were saying, it _does_ remind me of our hair colors put together."

Yang perked up a little at that, and Weiss was happy to find her eyes again as she went on:

"I was also reminded that... I never told you how pretty you looked last week."

Yang very nearly fell over, and had it not been for the counter already supporting most of her weight, she might have.

"Wh-What? _Me?_ Pretty? Nah, I don't think-"

"Let me finish," Weiss interrupted pointedly. "Last week, I noticed it right away when you came in that you were wearing a dress. I wanted to tell you how pretty you looked, but that was the day I was sick, and I couldn't think to tell you. So even though it's a bit late, I wanted to tell you how pretty you looked that day."

Yang's jaw hung open and she gaped dumbly, like a fish out of water. Her face got increasingly redder by the second.

"I... You- what? I mean you, thought I- Awww man, I should've worn one today!"

Weiss giggled.

"It's quite alright. You look lovely just as you are now," she reassured. "I've also been meaning to ask how your cheek is. It doesn't hurt anymore, I hope?"

"Huh? Oh, that? Nah, it's fine! Ever since you iced it for me and ki-" Yang instantly stopped herself, transforming the last word into a fake sneeze she directed into her elbow. "I, uh. I mean... th-thanks, I mean. For all that."

"I'm glad it's better now," Weiss said. "Now then, one last- oh." She looked up past Yang's shoulder, and when the blonde looked back, she noticed a pair of customers had walked in.

With a knowing glance to Weiss, Yang stepped away from the counter as the white-haired girl got to work again.

It only took a minute to send the people on their way, but it was a full minute in which Yang was painfully aware of every throb of her pulse. She feared she was already sweating, and she almost felt like dashing out of the shop simply to run off the jitters.

It also made her insanely more self-conscious about the fact that anyone could walk in on them at any time.

But as soon as Weiss had sent the people off, she motioned for Yang to come closer once more. Nervously, the blonde took her previous spot at the counter, using it for support, grateful that it was hiding her trembling legs from Weiss' view.

"Sorry about that," Weiss murmured. "Now where was I...?"

For a moment, only the sounds of the radio music filled the air, and Yang swallowed loudly enough to make a sound.

"Right," Weiss said at last. "It was about that thing your sister had said the time she came in with you and your other friend. I believe it was something along the lines of 'my sister likes you.' Even after all that's happened since then, I haven't forgotten what she'd said, and I... I just wanted to know... what she meant."

Weiss was silent after that, and Yang had no idea what to say or how to say it.

She wanted to do a lot of things in that moment.

She wanted to run back home and drag Ruby from her bed and put her in a headlock to give her the noogying of her life.

And she wanted to faint on the spot just after hearing what Weiss had said.

Thankfully, Weiss was patient as she waited for Yang to sort out her thoughts and feelings, and she could only pray no one else would enter the shop right now.

Yang could feel the blush on her own cheeks just as easily as she could see the one on Weiss'. She really was thankful for the counter being right there, or else Yang knew she would've fallen over by now.

She swallowed again and again, chewing her lip and clinging to the counter, unable to tear her gaze away from Weiss' equally-anxious one.

At last, Yang couldn't stay silent any longer, and even if she hadn't planned out her words as much as she might've liked to, she needed to say _something_.

"Weiss..." she started. "Weiss... god, I uh... how do I..."

She put a hand to her face, the other braced against the marble counter just beside the daisy. She had to look away from Weiss for a moment to collect her thoughts a bit.

It was the feeling of a cool, gentle hand on her own that motivated her to continue. Yang peeked up past her bangs to find Weiss' hand on hers over the flower, supporting her quietly. Yang swallowed and tried again.

"Weiss... What Ruby said back then... she wasn't lying. I... Ever since the first time I c-came in here, I really, really liked you. And it's gonna sound awful, but... at first it was just because of how _pretty_ you are. I couldn't help myself from admiring you. B-But even if it might've started out that way, appearance isn't the only reason I..."

She shook her head, clutching the side of her face as she looked down at the flower. Her vision was blurring and she could already feel the sting of tears coming on. The frustration that came with her inability to convey what she wanted to say was making her more and more upset, and she fought desperately to keep the tears back.

Sensing her dilemma, Weiss reached out with her other hand to touch the one Yang was pressing to her face. Gingerly, she brought both of the other girl's hands down onto the counter, persuading Yang to look up at her once more. Weiss smiled coyly as she covered Yang's bigger hands with her own.

"Yang, it's alright..." she murmured. "Unless you're blind, it's impossible _not_ to notice someone else's appearance first. We're very visual creatures, you know. It's not wrong or bad to be drawn to someone simply by looking at them.

"Actually... I was the same way," she confessed. "Even the first time I saw you, I thought you were... rather stunning. Much prettier than the other people I've seen come in and out of this shop over the years. Your smile was very different from the other girls and boys I've met. And after I started talking to you..."

"Yeah!" Yang nodded vigorously. "I mean, you were _super_ gorgeous from the start, but after I started talking to you, I only liked you more and more! You're a really hard worker and a great student, and you'd even risk your health for your grades. You're serious about doing what you love and I think it's really admirable."

She paused for a moment, amazed at herself for managing the entire sentence without messing it up.

Weiss' blush had darkened a few shades already, and her fingers were trembling lightly over the backs of Yang's hands. The blonde girl pulled her own hands free and covered Weiss' with them now, rubbing softly.

"Heh. Sorry i-if that was too cheesy or somethin'," she mumbled.

"N-Not at all." Weiss shook her head. "I'm just... I'm rather flattered you ever thought about such things. I don't honestly ever really think of myself that way, so... it was nice to hear coming from someone else. Especially you."

Weiss took over the conversation for a moment, giving Yang another rest.

"I really enjoyed the text messages you would send me. It was... the first time I ever had someone my own age worrying about me when I was sick, or just saying good morning or wishing me goodnight every day. I've never had that before, and I was always eager to hear from you. I never got bored of reading your texts, and I don't think I ever will."

It was Yang's turn to blush deeper and bite her lip again. Weiss felt the other girl's hands were shaking too now, and her own were as well.

So she only slipped one of her hands free and placed it over Yang's, and allowed the blonde girl's other hand to remain covering Weiss'.

Now that their hands were perfectly balanced out, and were equally shaking and being supported simultaneously, Weiss went on speaking softly.

"I admire you a lot too, Yang. You're quite charming, and obviously very committed to what you enjoy. You're strong, but also gentle. When I wasn't feeling well, you took care of me without a second thought. You were so kind... and not to mention just yesterday when you gave me this daisy. You always know how to make me feel better, Yang, even if you don't realize it yourself."

Yang released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in.

"R-Really? I'm... wow, I'm... _really_ glad that's the case. You always make me feel better, too. I didn't know I did the same for you."

Weiss merely nodded, squeezing the hand beneath hers a little tighter.

Likewise, Yang squeezed Weiss' as she went on.

"So... what Ruby meant before... she was right. I... I like you, Weiss. At first, I liked how pretty you were, and then I liked how smart and hardworking you were. I liked how you smile and how you laugh. And I still like all of those things. I just... I like you in a certain... _way_..."

Weiss' heart was pounding as she met those lavender pools once more. It was all she could do to remember how to breathe so she could ask.

"And... what kind of way would that be...?"

Yang swallowed again, blinking away the haze in her eyes as she focused on Weiss' sky-blue ones.

"It's..." She sighed a quivering breath, leaning away a little bit. But Weiss' hand remained steady on hers and quietly drew her back in.

Yang tried again.

"It's... It's the kinda way where... I wanna a-ask you s-something..."

If she had a dime for all the times she'd beat around the bush within the past five minutes, Yang knew she could've bought a house.

Ever-patient, Weiss nodded and encouraged her to finish.

"What would you like to ask me, then?"

A small, scared noise worked its way up the back of Yang's throat and slipped past her lips to sound like a whimpering animal.

"It's... I-I..."

She didn't want to back out of this. If she did, she knew she'd end up hurting Weiss, and consequently she'd never forgive herself.

She just needed a minute.

Weiss gave it to her, forgetting about work and the rest of the world right now as she gave her full attention to Yang.

"It's alright," she murmured. "You can ask me anything."

Another minute of radio music, then Yang nodded.

"It's... It's the kind of 'like' where I wanna ask you... if... if it'd be alright... to kiss you..."

She couldn't be sure if she'd actually said it, or if this was all just a dream. It all seemed too good to be true, so perhaps she was really still in bed sleeping in as always.

She regretted saying it almost as soon as it had come out of her mouth, because she knew this would make or break her feelings for Weiss forever.

The only reason she didn't run away was because her legs were shaking too much for them to be able to carry her as far as the door.

She'd die if she didn't hear Weiss' answer firsthand, anyway. Whatever Weiss decided, Yang promised to accept it.

The confession had reduced Yang into a stammering mess, but Weiss wasn't much better off. She felt almost dizzy, and the persistent, loud thumping in her chest was the only thing that kept her eyes open.

This was what she'd wanted to hear, and she'd heard it.

Now she _knew_ Yang felt the same way she did.

But Weiss realized _Yang_ didn't know that yet.

Yang didn't know if Weiss felt the same, and she wouldn't until Weiss gave a response.

All she could do was nod, and the smile finally returned.

" _Yes_..." Weiss whispered. "Yes, Yang."

Her voice was small, but Yang heard it clearly.

She wouldn't have believed it was real if not for the hands clutching hers, the scent of her perfume, the light breath that was caressing her cheek.

When had Weiss leaned in? Yang couldn't remember, although it couldn't have been longer than a minute ago.

Their eyes locked, and just in case Yang hadn't heard Weiss' answer, she could see the consent in her piercing blue eyes now.

Slowly, Weiss let her eyelids fall shut as she did her best to subdue her breathing.

Meanwhile, Yang's was erratic, but she reminded herself that she'd been the one who'd asked, and now that Weiss was telling her it was okay, she'd better go through with it.

It was disbelief that held her back as long as she hesitated, but despite the turmoil in her mind and in her chest, Yang's body moved on its own.

She leaned forward over the counter, until she could feel Weiss' breath on her lips.

She made sure she wouldn't miss, and at last, Yang closed her eyes.

Despite her efforts to aim, she ended up bumping her lips against the side of Weiss' mouth rather than the center. Yang made a small, nervous sound, about to pull away and either run or try again – she wasn't sure.

But before either could happen, Weiss saved her the trouble.

The white-haired girl moved her face to the side, trailing her lips centimeter by centimeter until she found Yang's fully.

For a second, their mouths only hovered against one another's, noses brushing lightly.

Then, they found some unspoken instructions to follow, perhaps instinct, or perhaps luck.

They tilted their faces, hands curling together as fingers squeezed knuckles.

It was a tiny kiss, one that lasted only a second before they pulled apart again. It was experimental, hesitant, as if to confirm this was real.

Their eyes reopened briefly, half-lidded gazes meeting and exchanging similar thoughts.

They wanted more than that.

So they tried again, and it was easier to find the other's lips this time.

They each pressed a little harder, the firmness of their lips working in contrast to the rest of their bodies, which trembled and threatened to give way under the intense emotions that swept over them both in that moment.

It was clear neither had ever kissed before – not like this. They were engulfed in the desire for more, each dragging press of lips leading to another, and then another until there was full contact.

Weiss could feel her heart soaring, and she knew she easily could have neglected her work and stayed like this for the rest of the day.

Yang probably would've liked that too, but there was one major setback to those plans.

It was all a _bit_ too much for Yang too quickly.

The second Weiss felt the girl pulling away, she could tell it wasn't voluntary.

There was little else Weiss could do other than cry out, "Y-Yang, you oaf!" to prevent the blonde from collapsing to the floor, but even that didn't suffice in the end.

And even as Yang felt herself slipping from Weiss' hands, she could do nothing to save herself.

The final thought in her mind was that she'd forever be known as the girl who _blacked out_ due to sheer elation during her first kiss.

But she didn't care, so long as she got to kiss Weiss again when she woke up.

* * *

 **A/N: And Yang is down for the count. KO-ed by a pretty girl. Nice.**

 **Ch8 preview: _Weiss could only stare for a moment with her jaw hanging down as she watched the blonde girl fall to the floor, evidently too overwhelmed by their first kiss to do otherwise._**

 _ **But it didn't take more than a few seconds for Weiss to push herself into action.**_

 **If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm just gonna try to get over the pain of the latest episode (6), and focus on cute fanfics where everything is fine and no one is hurt.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 8.

Weiss was incredulous.

After eighteen years, she'd just had her first romantic kiss ever, with a girl who was also a novice to romance - clearly.

It had only been a few weeks since they'd met, but now it was very clear that Yang felt the same way as Weiss did.

But perhaps Yang felt just a _bit_ more strongly.

Weiss could only stare for a moment with her jaw hanging down as she watched the blonde girl fall to the floor, evidently too overwhelmed by their first kiss to do otherwise.

But it didn't take more than a few seconds for Weiss to push herself into action. She flung the movable countertop piece aside and hurried out onto the main floor, dropping to her knees at Yang's side.

"I don't believe you!" she huffed, nervously looking the girl over.

Yang had gone to her knees and then toppled over, but at the very least she hadn't appeared to have hit her head on the counter.

But still, there was a lot for Weiss to panic about. If a customer entered right now, she'd have a lot of explaining to do, and she wasn't sure if she could manage a proper explanation for all of _this_.

Therefore, just for privacy's sake, Weiss stood and hurried to the main door to close it, flipping the OPEN sign over to CLOSED. Within seconds, she was back at Yang's side, kneeling down and focusing entirely on the hopeless girl.

Weiss considered calling for help; she didn't know if an ambulance would be appropriate for this type of thing. But it still wasn't normal for people to just pass out like this. What if Yang had some kind of condition?

The thought sent a pang through Weiss' chest.

Carefully, she slipped her arms beneath Yang's shoulders, making an effort to lift her up, wanting to move her to a table or sit her up straight, at the very least.

But the kickboxing girl was all muscle, and Weiss' arms gave out in only a matter of seconds. Panting with effort, Weiss knelt back down and gently laid Yang's head on her knees instead.

Catching her breath, she looked down at Yang's face. Weiss could at least take a bit of solace in realizing that the girl was making the same face she'd been making when she'd fallen asleep at one of the tables last week.

Even now, Yang appeared to be resting peacefully, if not voluntarily, but she was breathing fine and didn't seem to be in any pain.

Weiss placed a hand on each of her shoulders and shook her lightly, but it didn't rouse the other girl.

So she merely opted to wait.

She cradled Yang's head in her lap, gingerly trailing her fingernails through the blonde's bangs and tracing the outline of her face. Weiss used her palms to rub small circles over the other girl's collar, and she hunched her back just a bit to lean over her.

"You idiot..." she murmured. "I can't believe you passed out on me during our first kiss. I wasn't finished yet..."

To prove as much, she bent forward and pressed a soft kiss to Yang's forehead, pulling her closer still. White strands of hair slipped down over her shoulder and mixed with gold, and Weiss moved her lips down to Yang's nose.

"Come now..." she huffed. "You've worried me enough, don't you think? I've closed the shop for you. Please wake up now..."

She moved her mouth until it was above Yang's and kissed her softly there.

By some miracle, her plea was heard and answered.

The response was a very soft, "Mm..." from Yang, and Weiss pulled back a bit so she may see the girl's eyes.

She had only been out for a few minutes at most, but to Yang, it'd felt like a few days.

But when her senses came back to her, she started to remember where she was and what had happened.

She'd expected to wake up on a cold wooden floor with a headache.

But instead, she opened her eyes to find stunning bright blue looking back at her, and there was a softness pillowing her neck, head, and shoulders.

As soon as she realized exactly what position she was in, Yang felt like passing out all over again.

But evidently, Weiss had other plans for her.

It began with a lecture.

"You oaf!" was the first thing Yang heard, but she knew she deserved it. She flinched a bit, but there was a sheepish smile on her face.

"Haaa..." she wheezed dryly. "I... oh man, I'm never gonna live this down..."

"I'll say," Weiss snapped. "What were you thinking, just falling over like that?"

"Well, I wasn't exactly _thinking_ , but-"

"My point exactly. You weren't thinking. Why? Because you're an idiot. I nearly broke my back trying to lift you up and carry you somewhere more comfortable. I closed the shop temporarily so no one would walk in on us, but I'll have you know the bakers might come out from the kitchen at any moment! If you absolutely _must_ pass out, please try to do it at a time and place that's convenient for others," she grunted.

The best part was that Yang honestly couldn't tell if Weiss was being serious or not.

Despite the lecture Weiss was spouting at her from above, Yang was smiling all the while as she stared up at the girl from this angle.

Weiss' voice was harsh, but the hands on Yang's shoulders were gentle as they kneaded her sore muscles. Weiss' words quite literally said what she was feeling, and Yang knew her body was doing the very same.

When she observed Weiss' face, the girl's lip was trembling slightly, and her eyebrows were furrowed despite the tautness of her tone. Her real emotions were hidden behind a screen of words, but Yang could see through it like glass.

"Goodness," Weiss continued. "I still can't _believe_ you did this, you idiot. Does it hurt anywhere? You didn't hit your head, did you? If not that's good, because I'd like to hit it myself because you're an _idiot_."

Yang couldn't help but chuckle at that. Weiss seemed to be offended at the sound.

"What? You think this is _funny_ , Yang? Do you know how scary it is to watch someone collapse like that? And after we'd just-" She bit her lip in an effort to keep her emotions in check.

Weiss took a steadying breath and went on in a lower tone. "My heart almost stopped. I didn't know what had happened to you so suddenly. You'd better not do it again, Yang. _Ever_."

It was when she needed to sniffle back her tears when she finally fell silent, turning her head defiantly to one side to hide her expression from Yang.

The blonde was still smiling, touched by Weiss' display of affection; she'd only snapped at Yang because she'd been so worried, worried enough to almost be brought to tears now.

Moving her arms a bit, Yang turned her hands over until they'd reached up to her own shoulders to cover Weiss' fingers, patting them reassuringly.

"Hey, hey..." Yang murmured, the smile still present. "I'm sorry, okay? I never meant to worry you, that should be obvious. I didn't exactly _plan_ on passin' out, y'know. I just..." She paused and sighed giddily.

"I'd never been kissed by such a pretty girl before, and it got to me. I was so happy and nervous and shocked and it all just piled up. But I'm alright, so you don't have to worry anymore. Sorry about making you upset. Is there anything I can do to redeem myself?"

Weiss was still trying to keep her bottom lip from trembling at the moment, but at the offer, she flashed her gaze back down to meet Yang's.

"Like I said," she sighed. "Just don't let this happen again. _Please_."

"Mm~" Yang nodded. "I'll do my best, but no promises! 'Cause I might just pass out every time I kiss ya since you're just so damn pretty."

"If you passed out every time we kissed, then we'd have a few issues," Weiss scolded. "Possibly medical ones, too."

"I'm kiddin', I'm kiddin'! I won't pass out anymore, okay?"

Weiss gave her a dubious look.

Yang grinned up at her.

"Alright, pinky promise." She looped her pinkies around both of Weiss' where they rested on her shoulders. Yang gave a little squeeze to prove she meant everything she'd promised.

Weiss sighed again, but seemed to be satisfied with her response.

"Fine. Now then, can you stand? I'd like to get back to work, if you don't mind."

"Hmm, don't know if I can stand yet," Yang hummed. "I might need a bit of a boost, a bit more energy. Plus, I still wanna make it up to you for making you panic so much before."

She slipped her hands away from Weiss' and instead reached up slowly, so the girl could stop her if she wanted to.

But Weiss merely remained still, until she could feel those warm palms softly cupping her cheeks. Yang coaxed her forward, smiling all the while as she kept her eyes on Weiss'.

Before long, Weiss leaned down on her own, closing her eyes as she pressed another, firmer kiss to Yang's lips.

The blonde could feel Weiss' huff of breath and chuckled at the thought of her pouting about kissing on the job.

The angle was a bit awkward, and neither expected their second kiss to be an upside-down one, but here they were on the floor of the bakery, sharing breath.

Weiss dared to use her teeth, just to nip Yang's lip in a silent manner of scolding for putting her through all of this. She felt the blonde girl smirk in response, happily accepting the punishment if it meant they got to extend the kiss a bit longer.

Yang's hands caressed Weiss' cheeks, fingers getting lost in her hair. In turn, she could feel Weiss' hands pressing lightly over her chest, her scent wreathing around and filling Yang's lungs.

This was only their second kiss ever, and yet it somehow felt like the two-hundredth.

They'd already found their chemistry, a natural common ground where they came together in kissing. Their lips melted easily together and lacked the hesitance of a first kiss now.

They were both much surer, and much more eager to show it.

But at the very least, Weiss was able to demonstrate some semblance of self-control as she reminded herself she was still on duty.

Once she was short of breath, Weiss pulled herself away from Yang's grip and straightened her back once again. Her face was flushed, but she was satisfied to discover Yang's was much the same.

"Aww..." the blonde pouted. "That's all?"

"Did you forget I'm supposed to be _working_ at the moment?"

"Oh. Right."

With another huff, Weiss cleared her throat.

"Now then, can you get up? Are you 'energized' enough now?"

"To be honest, I kinda just wanna nap now-"

"On your feet."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Weiss helped Yang sit up, keeping one of her hands on the taller girl's back and the other on her stomach to support her. Weiss stood with her slowly, not wanting a dizzy spell to get the better of Yang. But they both made it to their feet without a hitch.

Once again, Yang was reminded of just how much height she had on Weiss.

The first kiss had been easy enough despite the counter in between them, and Weiss had been at Yang's same height exactly.

But now, Yang had several inches on her, and she couldn't help wondering what it'd be like to kiss her like this.

Weiss could see the desire in those lavender eyes, and she herself might've liked to find out what a third kiss while standing on the same surface would be like.

But for her job's sake, Weiss needed to push the thoughts aside.

"Some other time," she said aloud, answering both Yang's and her own question. "If you're alright now, then I've got to get back to work."

"Yeah," Yang nodded. "I'm fine, so don't you worry!"

Weiss crossed her arms and looked away.

Yang stepped a bit closer and wrapped her in a soft embrace.

"I mean it, Weiss. I'm fine now, 'kay? I'll text you when I get to kickboxing and when the class is over, too. Don't worry, yeah?"

"Not worrying is easier said than done when you've just watched the first person you've ever kissed fall to the ground like a sack of potatoes."

"Aw, Weiss, c'mon~" Yang squeezed her a little tighter to reassure her.

It was amazing what those kisses had done. Yesterday, she would've darted out at the mere thought of hugging Weiss like this, or even talking to her so extensively.

But now that their mutual feelings had been laid bare, there wasn't any need to hold back anymore.

And again, it felt as though they'd been doing this for months, hugging and kissing like this.

Weiss fit so perfectly into her arms, and Yang couldn't stop herself from kissing the crown of the girl's head.

Weiss felt the same way, as though she'd been pulled into Yang's arms like this a thousand times before. It felt so natural and comfortable, and neither of them made a big deal about it, but simply enjoyed it in silence.

Weiss said nothing for another moment, and Yang had to wonder if she was thinking of a reply or if she was merely enjoying the close contact. She felt Weiss' arms slip around her torso and return the hug briefly before she stepped away.

"Fine," Weiss grunted. "But if you don't text me, Yang, then so help me-"

"I won't forget!" Yang chuckled. "I'll be fine, trust me! And I'll come right back here after kickboxing just like I do every day! So I'll see you again soon, 'kay?" She moved her hands up to Weiss' shoulders and played idly with her hair for a moment.

Weiss glared up at her.

"What is it now?"

"Aw, nothing~" Yang sang. "Just marveling at how lucky I was that you'd feel the same way. God, you're gorgeous, did I ever tell you that?"

"You have now," Weiss said. "And while it's very much appreciated I really should-"

"Right, right. Get back to work, huh?"

"Indeed."

"Got'cha." Yang took one step back before Weiss suddenly changed her mind and stopped her.

"Hold on just a minute," she sighed. "Is that how you plan to say goodbye? Just by walking away? Honestly, do I have to teach you _everything?_ "

Reaching up, she grasped Yang's shirt collar and pulled her down into a final kiss.

Yang was more pleased than shocked by the action and sweetly returned the contact, slipping her arms to either of the smaller girl's sides. She started to rub up and down gently, and Weiss felt herself relaxing a bit too much. She needed to force her lips away from Yang's and shake her head.

"Now off with you!" she said. "I'll see you back here in an hour or so, and _don't_ forget to text me, do you hear?"

"I won't! But before I go..."

Yang reached out to the counter, picking up the daisy that had been left there since their first kiss. The strands of Weiss' hair that had been pulled loose when she'd removed the flower earlier were presently tucked back into place by Yang's soft fingers. She then slipped the stem of the flower in place over Weiss' ear and stepped back to admire the final picture.

"Perfect," she grinned.

Weiss looked away to hide another blush.

"Alright. Now go, or else you'll be late."

"Yeah! I-I'll see you soon again, okay?" Yang leaned in to press one final kiss to Weiss' cheek before she scurried out the door.

Yang was really on cloud nine this time.

She was absolutely giddy about having just successfully confessed _and_ experienced three different kisses with Weiss.

There was no way this could be real.

She couldn't stop thinking about it all the while as she all but skipped down the sidewalk, being mindful not to dance into oncoming traffic by accident.

As soon as she arrived at the kickboxing building, she sent Weiss a message:

 ** _I'm here!_ _Got here just fine._ _See you again soon~_**

Weiss replied only seconds afterward:

 ** _Good. Just make sure you get back to me in one piece, please._**

Yang was humming to herself in the locker room, enough to pique the other girls' interest, mainly Pyrrha's.

"Are you feeling alright?" she wondered.

Yang turned to her friend and gave the other girl the widest grin she'd ever mustered.

"Pyrrha, I am _ecstatic_. Never in my life have I ever been better than this~"

Her performance in class proved as much. Even after a rigorous cardiac workout, Yang was still eager for more. She won all of her matches and even then had excess energy to spare.

Once class was finished, she texted Weiss again before changing and heading back out.

Yang munched on her granola bar and guzzled her water, still humming some nonsensical tune to herself as she hurried towards the bakery. She arrived to find a group of people just leaving, and slipped inside.

Weiss had just started eating her lunch when the other girl strolled in. She quickly put everything aside and stood, hurrying over to the counter. She was clearly excited to see Yang, just as much as the blonde was to see her.

But both paused on either side of the counter, clearing their throats and trying not to look like excited children.

Weiss spoke first.

"I... trust class went well?"

"It was great," Yang nodded. "I've never had a funner class in my whole life."

"Funny," Weiss mused. "All I've done for the past hour is serve customers as always, but it was immensely more enjoyable for some reason."

"Hmm~ Wonder what that reason could be?"

"I haven't the slightest idea."

They shared knowing smiles before leaning over the counter.

Weiss flashed a quick glance to the door to ensure no one was there before she indulged herself in Yang's lips.

She could taste the nutty flavor of the granola bar, and felt Yang's smirk as strongly as she felt her own. Rather than the nervous kiss this had been earlier that day with shaking hands pressed to the counter between them, now both girls had their palms on the other's cheeks, confident and excited.

But still, they needed to be aware of where they were – the hard marble digging into each of their stomachs reminded them as much.

After a minute, they pulled apart, fixing their bangs and ruffled clothes.

"So..." Weiss said, trying to get control over her breathing again. "What can I get for you today?"

It was almost humorous how their relationship had changed since yesterday. The two of them still maintained the customer-salesgirl aspects of everything – they just happened to realize they wouldn't mind sharing a kiss or two in between.

"Let's see," Yang considered. "I'll take a loaf of wheat bread, a half-dozen cookies, and two slices of chocolate cake."

With a nod, Weiss started to prepare everything.

Yang watched the swish of her white ponytail and the bounce of the flower behind her ear as she walked. So much about this scene was familiar, and yet so much was pleasantly different.

Yang got the same butterflies in her stomach, only their strength had increased tenfold.

And Weiss' heart had good reason to be beating so quickly for once.

The nervousness had been exchanged for confidence for the both of them, although it all was still a bit difficult to believe. Everything had happened so quickly, and only a few hours ago.

Weiss rung up the order and Yang paid. But before she could take her things and head out, she requested one last thing.

"Will that be all?" Weiss wondered.

"Actually, there's oooone more thing I'd like~"

Yang leaned over the counter once more and puckered her lips a bit.

Weiss had been about to indulge her until a group of passerby outside the shop caused her to freeze. She held her breath and tried to act natural, and Yang reopened her eyes to find Weiss stiff and nervous.

The blonde frowned; she could understand this was difficult for Weiss, because lunch break or not, she was still in her father's shop.

Leaving her food for the moment, Yang ushered Weiss away from the register. She herself skirted the display cases until she found herself at the movable countertop.

Weiss followed her there, and here at the corner of the shop, they were out of immediate sight of passing people.

Yang lifted the countertop and moved closer, reaching out to rest her hands on Weiss' hips with a smile. Weiss remained on the elevated step, keeping their faces level as she wrapped her arms around Yang's shoulders and kissed her again.

Yang all but purred against her lips, placing kiss after kiss on Weiss' soft lips, always being sure to pull back so they could both catch their breaths. The shorter, lighter kisses went on for a few minutes, the calming music of the bakery providing a comforting soundtrack.

Then, the kisses became a little longer, a little fuller.

Finally, they pulled away, but only their lips.

Yang stepped close and wrapped Weiss in her arms, resting her chin on the girl's shoulder. Weiss did the same, hugging Yang's back and tucking her face into the side of her neck as she caught her breath.

Yang closed her eyes and sighed blissfully, taking in that familiar scent.

She still couldn't believe it. Just a few weeks ago she'd fallen head over heels for Weiss, and only yesterday had she resolved herself to confess as much.

She still wasn't sure if this was all real, if Weiss had really returned her feelings and kissed her four separate times today alone. She still wasn't even sure if Weiss was actually in her arms right now.

But the tickle of breath against her neck and the gentle thumping of a heartbeat against her own told her otherwise.

Yang rubbed her hands slowly over Weiss' petite back, nuzzling into her hair.

"Is it real...?" she mumbled. "I don't know, Weiss. I really don't know..."

"Must I prove it to you?" Weiss shifted slightly and kissed her cheek, the one that had been bruised a few days ago. "I can't be sure myself, but too much says this _is_ real, so I'm willing to accept that. You should, too."

Yang nodded, and Weiss heard a whimper.

"Yeah... You're right..."

"Yang, don't cry." Weiss could already feel a few warm drops of liquid seeping into her shoulder. "Please don't do this to me."

"But they're happy tears!" she sniffled.

"Yes, but I'm still working. I can't afford to start crying as well."

"Fine..." Yang did her best to wipe the tears away, and Weiss helped her a bit, catching them on her fingers before kissing Yang's nose sweetly.

"Text me when you get home," she murmured.

Yang nodded.

"'Kay. I'll see you tomorrow, Weiss."

"Yes you will."

They moved apart enough to share one final kiss for the day.

At last, they found the strength to let the other go and stepped back.

"This sucks," Yang grumbled as she walked back to collect her food. "I already feel cold just not hugging you."

"It's summertime, Yang," she chuckled. "I'm sure you'll be warm enough, at least until you come back tomorrow."

"Is it alright if I come early again?" Yang wondered.

"Of course it is. You're free to come whenever you'd like, you know."

"Okay!" She wiped her arm over her eyes and grinned once again. Gathering the food in her arms, she shared one last glance with Weiss. "See you tomorrow. I'll text you."

"Alright. Have a good evening."

With that, Yang took her leave, and Weiss watched her go.

And as she bit into her gift brownie, something told Yang that Weiss had kissed it for her.

* * *

 **A/N: Ahhh finally they can hug and kiss~**

 **Ch9 preview: _But before she could enter the empty shop, Yang stopped herself when she heard something._**

 ** _It was the music coming from the shop's radio, but it wasn't just that. There was an angelic voice singing along to it, one she recognized instantly as Weiss'._**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**It's almost time to wrap up this AU. Enjoy the final few chapters!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 9.

Upon waking up the next morning, Yang was convinced everything had been a dream.

None of it felt real, and she knew her mind easily could have been playing tricks on her.

A glance at the alarm clock told her she'd slept in a little today, and she felt a bit groggier than usual. Probably because she'd found difficulty in falling asleep last night, but not for bad reasons; her mind had simply been too preoccupied with thoughts of Weiss.

Even now, when she closed her eyes against the intrusively bright Sunday morning sunlight, Yang replayed yesterday's events.

She imagined Weiss in her arms, returning her embraces and her kisses.

There was no kickboxing class today, therefore Yang was content to laze about in bed and daydream as much as her heart desired.

Random thoughts of Weiss drifted through her mind, everything from her feverish coughing when she'd been sick, to her brightest smile when she'd gotten better.

As she let her mind wander, Yang realized a few other things as well. She hadn't really taken much note of them at the time, but now that she was alone and had all the time in the world to reflect, she could consciously appreciate them.

The biggest one was the change in Weiss' attitude toward her immediately after they'd kissed. She'd made quick work of then referring to Yang as an "oaf" or an "idiot" and would scold her and snap at her gently. Nothing like the polite, kind salesgirl Weiss had been to her for the past two weeks, although there had been a few instances even then when her true colors had slipped through.

But Yang wasn't put-off by Weiss' behavior, as she understood the reasons behind it. Weiss had only been curt with her because she'd been worried for Yang. After all, who wouldn't be after their first kiss had left her collapsed on the floor?

But while Yang might've shown her concern through fretting and things like that, the somewhat harsher words were Weiss' own method of dealing with worry.

Rather than be upset by the behavior, Yang was actually rather flattered; discovering this side of Weiss was a privilege for her, and it meant she'd gotten much closer to her within the past twenty-four hours.

Yang was already smiling to herself at the mere thought of having worked her way into Weiss' corner this much within such a short amount of time.

She would've been content to laze around in bed all day just thinking about Weiss, but movement from the bunk above alerted her to the time once again. It was just before 10AM, and Yang recalled she'd told Weiss she would visit early today.

With a loud sigh, she stretched her arms out across her pillow and released a yawn that almost unhinged her jaw.

Ruby slipped down off the top bunk with a _thud_ and sniffled a bit.

"Mornin', Yang."

"Mornin', Ruby."

Unlike Yang, Ruby still had her ceramic lessons today as per usual. So the two sisters went about their usual routine of selecting outfits and taking turns in the bathroom to change and freshen up.

Perhaps being a bit full of herself, Yang decided to wear a dress again today, intent on looking good for Weiss. It was a simple, pale yellow sundress that reached her knees, and Yang pulled on a small brown jacket to cover her arms. She even went so far as to put on a necklace along with that extra spritz of perfume.

Ruby realized how plain she herself looked next to Yang when she was simply wearing a mini skirt and leggings with a t-shirt. But only when the two sisters were finally out of the house did the brunette start asking questions.

"Soooo~" she hummed. "Why're you coming out today, Yang? There's no kickboxing, so why aren't you sleeping in like usual?"

Yang shrugged and tried to act casual as they walked.

"Just gonna pick up the bread Mom asked for."

"Oh, really?" Ruby mumbled.

A few minutes later, they encountered Blake, whose content morning wave was abruptly stopped when she noticed the older sister.

"Whoa, Yang," she said, impressed. "You're coming with us today? And what's with the get-up?"

Before the blonde could scramble for an answer, Ruby cut in first.

"She won't tell meeee!" she whined. "Blake, make her talk!"

"Whoa, hold on now-" Yang tried to defend herself, but the others were too curious to ignore the obvious.

"Come on, Yang," Blake said, nudging her friend's ribs with her elbow as they all started to walk again. "We all know you've been crushing on the bakery girl for over a week now. I've never seen you wear a dress more than once in a month before. You can't just leave us in the dark about this. What happened?"

Yang bit her lip and looked to her other side, but found herself met with Ruby's eager silver gaze. Yang stopped walking as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Ugh, fine. You got me. I'll talk alright? Where do I start...?"

They didn't need to know everything that had happened between Weiss and herself. Surely just cutting to the chase and telling the biggest news would be enough to satisfy these two vultures.

Yang could already feel the blush creeping across her cheeks as she began.

"Yesterday... I-"

"Oh, right!" Ruby promptly cut it. "You said that yesterday you were gonna tell her!"

"Ruby-!"

"What?" Blake cried. "You confessed to her?"

"Hold on-"

"What did she say?" Ruby blurted. "Actually, you didn't seem very upset yesterday when we were walking home~ You were smiling so much your face probably hurt~"

"Do you guys wanna hear what happened or not?" Yang grumbled.

The other two pursed their lips into knowing smiles as they listened to her begin the story. She told of how she'd bought Weiss the daisy, how Weiss had told her the meaning of that flower.

"And then she brought _you_ up," Yang said, tapping her knuckles atop Ruby's head in a chiding manner. "She actually remembered that time you went in and blurted out that I liked her. And then she..." Yang paused and swallowed. "Well... I asked if I could... kiss her. And she kinda... leaned over the counter and well..." Yang trailed off and suddenly found great interest in the sidewalk below.

Blake and Ruby stood dumbfounded and disbelieving.

"No way..." Blake mumbled.

"You guys _kissed?!_ " Ruby shrieked.

"Well, don't go tellin' the whole freakin' neighborhood!" Yang hissed, covering her little sister's mouth. "But yeah, we... did that and..." She knew the truth would come out sooner or later, and Yang figured the sooner the better, and she wanted them to hear it directly from her. "And I uh... kinda got so excited that I kinda... passed out..."

The ensuing silence was a lot of things: confused, shocked, a little concerned, but majorly indecisive of what to make of this information.

With her jaw already agape, Ruby was the first one to recover.

"You _what?!_ "

Blake recovered shortly afterward, but instead of being appalled like Ruby, she was holding back a laugh.

"Yang!" Blake put a hand to her mouth and chuckled. "I don't believe you. And yet, I'm not surprised..."

Despite the teasing words, Blake stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her friend to prove she was also a little worried at the idea of Yang fainting. Ruby followed suit and quickly hugged her sister from behind. Yang groaned and sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, tease me all you want. But of the four times we kissed yesterday, I only blacked out _once_ , and considering how gorgeous Weiss is and how crazily excited I was each time, it's an accomplishment that I stayed conscious the other three times."

By then, Blake had recovered from her bout of laughter, and she pulled away slightly.

"Sorry..." she smiled. "But I've never heard of someone passing out during a kiss before. Not in real life, anyway. It _would_ be you, Yang. But are you okay? Did you get hurt or anything?"

"Nah. Luckily I didn't hit my head or nothin'. And when I woke up, Weiss was taking care of me."

"Of course she was," Blake hummed. "So I take it the feelings were mutual, then?"

"Well, I just said we kissed three more times, so what do _you_ think?"

"Whoa!" At last, Ruby released her grip around Yang's back and quickly skirted around to her front. "So, Yang! This means she's your girlfriend now, right?"

"My wha-"

She hadn't considered that word until now. All last night and this morning, she'd merely been thinking of seeing Weiss and getting to kiss her again, but she hadn't considered the labels that came with their newly-established relationship.

The blonde put a hand to her mouth and bit her knuckle a bit in a failed effort to hide and fend off her blush.

Blake's chuckle returned.

"She's right, you know. It sounds like you and Weiss are girlfriends now."

"Holy shit..." Yang mumbled. "We... kind of are, aren't we?"

"Not 'kind of', Yang!" Ruby giggled. "You _are!_ "

"And-" Blake cut in once again. "It has just occurred to me that we're intruding on your precious time together with your new girlfriend this morning." She grabbed Ruby's arm and tugged the girl to her side. "So the two of us can be on our merry way to ceramics while you go show off your dress to Weiss. How does that sound?"

"Just don't kiss her when she's working!" Ruby cautioned.

Yang's face had already turned beat red.

"Oh my god, you two-" she moaned. "Just go!"

"Tell us all the details later~!" Ruby sang.

"In your dreams, ya little scamp."

At that point, Blake led Ruby away. Yang knew they would undoubtedly be gossiping about her and teasing her behind her back all day.

But Yang found she didn't mind, because now she could finally focus on Weiss.

Her _girlfriend._

With the bakery in sight now, she threw one last wave to Ruby and Blake as they headed off down another street. Yang set her course straight ahead.

As she passed the flower shop, the old woman greeted her and stopped her for a moment.

"How did it go, deary?" she wondered. "With the daisy, I mean."

Yang's lips split into a wide, toothy grin.

"Granny, 'cause of you and that flower, I got myself a girlfriend!"

"Oh, my! Well congratulations."

"Thanks!"

After that brief conversation, Yang continued on her way, following her nose as she caught the first whiff of warm bread.

The doors were open, but she didn't see anyone outside of the bakery. Sundays tended to be slower for business, as most people liked to sleep in or go to church.

But before she could enter the empty shop, Yang stopped herself when she heard something.

It was the music coming from the shop's radio, but it wasn't _just_ that. There was an angelic voice singing along to it, one she recognized instantly as Weiss'.

Keeping still outside the shop as not to disturb the secret aria inside, Yang closed her eyes and listened.

A piano tinkled in the background along with a slow beat. From what she gathered, most of the song consisted of quieter, speaking type roles with the singer's voice being more prominent than the music. But when the chorus came, both Weiss' voice and the music got louder:

 _"Shine with all the untold._  
 _Hold the life given unto you._  
 _Find a love to unfold_  
 _in this broken world we chose..."_

Just from hearing those few lines alone, carried out on such a lovely, heartwarming voice, Yang felt her eyes watering. She sniffled and ducked her face into her elbow to regain her composure, listening to the fading notes of the piano as the song came to an end.

It took her a moment to finally straighten up and put on her usual smile before sauntering into the shop.

She found Weiss with her back turned to the door, humming the instrumental notes of the next song. Yang held back on calling out to her as not to startle her.

But the second the white-haired girl turned around with her breath ready and voice prepared to sing again, only to find she was no longer alone in the shop, Weiss stumbled a bit.

"Y-Yang?!" Weiss' face was pink as she caught herself on the counter, bracing her palms on the hard surface. With a nervous chuckle, Yang hurried forward to reach out and steady the girl's wrists.

"The one and only!" she beamed. "You, okay? Don't be embarrassed, Weiss. God, that was beautiful."

"You... You heard that?"

"A bit," Yang admitted. "I never knew you had such a pretty singing voice. Sorry for eavesdropping, but I was mesmerized and I didn't wanna interrupt you."

"You... You didn't text me this morning," Weiss mumbled, her hands still comfortably cushioned in Yang's. "I thought you were still asleep. I didn't expect you to be here so soon... and dressed like _that_." Her blue eyes traveled down to Yang's attire, appreciating every inch of it.

The blonde girl blushed, squeezing Weiss' hands a little.

"You... You like it?"

"What kind of a question is that?" Weiss huffed. "Of course I like it! You can easily make _anything_ look good, but that... that's prettier on you than most things." Her heart was already thumping quickly, both due to Yang's gorgeous appearance and due to being caught in the middle of her private concert.

Yang could feel the girl's pulse flitting beneath her fingertips, and she smiled, lowering her voice a little bit.

"So... do you always sing like that?" she wondered.

Weiss huffed and flicked her gaze to the side.

"Not often. Usually just when I know for certain there's no one else around, and only if a good song comes on."

"Really? I think you should sing more often! You could easily go pro with a voice like that!" Yang grinned. "This is the first time I've heard you sing. You have the prettiest voice I've ever heard, Weiss."

"Flatterer..."

"Am I not allowed to flatter my very own girlfriend?" Trying out the word for the first time was more exciting than she'd thought it would be.

The consequential blush it drew from Weiss' cheeks likely matched the one on Yang's own.

Clearly, Weiss hadn't considered the word either until now. The bakery girl had no response other than another small huff of breath.

Yang stole a quick glance behind her shoulder to make sure they were alone before directing her attention back to Weiss. It was customary for people like them to share a greeting kiss or two, right?

Yang leaned in quietly and pecked Weiss' cheek, nuzzling her nose softly.

Weiss gave in swiftly and leaned in closer over the counter. She closed her eyes, enjoying the soft contact before initiating a fuller kiss to the lips. She felt Yang smile as they deepened the contact, now more or less used to how this worked.

They'd figured it all out yesterday, the best way to tilt their chins and angle their faces so they may make the most of these short-lived moments.

Weiss only pulled away when she started to feel a bit anxious, as though someone might walk in on them. Reluctantly, Yang released her wrists and took a step back.

Weiss sighed and fixed her mussed ponytail.

"It wasn't easy explaining to my father where that daisy came from, you know. I told him it was from you and that you'd given it to me in hopes I wasn't sick anymore. He believes it for now, but it won't be long before he wises up, I'm sure."

Yang frowned.

"Is that a bad thing? I mean, would he be... not okay with... _us?_ " she wondered.

"Oh, not at all." Weiss quickly waved her hand dismissively. "He wouldn't mind, and my sister would probably thrilled. It's just a bit difficult for me because... we'll I've never dated anyone before. I never wanted to until..." She flashed Yang a coy glance.

The kick-boxer nodded and rolled her shoulders.

"Yeah, I haven't told my folks yet either, but it'll only be a matter of time. My big-mouth sister knows now."

"That sounds troublesome," Weiss mused. "But I'm sure we'll get through it."

"Yeah!"

"So..." Weiss straightened up. "Would you like anything today?"

"Mm, not just yet. There's no kickboxing so I was kinda hoping I could just... well, hang around here for today. With you. If it's a slow day, I figured we'd get to have a bit more time together. Of course, I get it if you'd rather not-"

"Don't make assumptions on my part," Weiss snapped, and Yang had to hold back a little chuckle; there it was again, Weiss' seemingly-shortened fuse. Weiss was only being curt because she didn't want Yang to assume she'd rather spend the day any other way than together inside their beloved bakery.

Weiss went on with her cheeks pouting slightly. "Of course I don't mind your staying here today. I could use a bit of company. Particularly from you, considering the fact that we're-"

"Girlfriends~!"

"Yes, that."

"Great!" Yang said with a clap. "So now I can sit out here and not feel creepy about watching you work! Cause I really love just being in the same room as you. And I love watching you work because you get this little sparkle in your eyes-"

"A-Alright, that's enough! Go sit down. Someone's coming in."

Yang did as she'd been told and went to have a seat at one of the little tables. She reached into her jacket's pocket and extracted a small handheld game to help pass the time as Weiss greeted her customers.

Yang stole occasional glances up just to see that sparkle in those blue eyes for herself as Weiss tended to the people with expert words and skilled hands. Weiss truly loved her work, and that only made Yang fall for her even harder.

A few minutes later when the shop was quiet again, Yang put her game away and sauntered up to the counter.

"Oh, Miss?" she said. "I could use a bit of help with something~"

Weiss gave her a skeptical look as she quirked an eyebrow.

"And what would that be?"

"Mm, just a lil' something~" Yang leaned forward and pecked the girl's nose without warning.

"Hey!" Weiss pawed her away playfully before grabbing Yang's wrist. "Fine. My turn."

She retaliated by pulling Yang in and kissing her cheek.

They battled back and forth over the counter, stealing kisses in turn. Weiss had to keep an eye on the door to stay on lookout for customers, and whenever she spotted potential ones, she'd grunt to Yang and motion for her to sit down.

They made it a routine before long, how Yang would casually sit aside and mind her own business when there were other people present. But the second it was just the two of them, she'd get up and steal those over-the-counter kisses with Weiss.

Hours passed in this manner, and the two girls engaged in several conversations about various things, such as Weiss' college work and Yang's plans for her summer vacation. Sometimes, when there was little else to say, Weiss would sing for her, and Yang would sit in quiet mesmerization.

About an hour after noon, the lunchtime crowd had just died away and left the two girls alone for a good ten minutes. Weiss took a breather to have her lunch, and Yang decided to close her eyes and nap for a few minutes.

The bakery closed early on Sunday. It wasn't long before the bakers in back stepped out of the hidden kitchen, to take their leave, and Yang made sure to promptly pull herself off of Weiss' lips and lean casually against the counter as they did so.

It was only a few stolen kisses afterward when Weiss removed her apron and stepped out from behind the counter to close the door and flip over the CLOSED sign.

That was the first time all day Yang could really appreciate her girlfriend's cute outfit.

Weiss was also wearing a dress, ice-blue in color, but with the counter shielding her from the waist down and the apron previously covering most of the top of it, Yang had merely assumed it to be a shirt.

And they were finally alone together.

Yang sauntered over to her girlfriend, who now stood at her usual height that barely surmounted the former's chin.

"Y'know," Yang chuckled. "'Cause of that step behind the counter, I forget you're actually shorter than me."

"Is that a problem, you tower?"

"'Course not~"

Reaching out, Yang wrapped her arms around the white-haired girl's waist and pulled her up into another kiss. Weiss' arms slipped around the blonde's shoulders to guide her downward a bit.

They knew this would be the parting kiss, so they had it last a bit longer, allowed it to be a bit more passionate than the others had been. Yang's hands lightly rubbed up and down the girl's back, as Weiss' fingers toyed with her golden locks.

When they finally parted for breath, Weiss huffed a little dejectedly.

"Today went by too quickly. Make sure you text me when you're home."

"You got it," Yang promised. "And don't worry! We'll have plenty of time together tomorrow and the next day and every day after that!"

"Yes..." Weiss mumbled. "But I'll miss you tonight."

Yang smiled and kissed her temple softly.

"Me, too. But it'll make it all the more worth it when we're together again tomorrow."

Weiss sighed but nodded, willing to accept that deal.

They shared one last quick kiss before heading to the doors.

Weiss turned off the lights and radio, and then locked up the shop as they stepped outside.

The two girls hugged one last time before heading off in opposite directions toward their respective homes.

And again, they discovered that tomorrow couldn't come quickly enough.

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter was mainly to show how they'd behave while Weiss was working. When I was discussing the ideas for this AU with a friend, the over-the-counter kisses came up and I just had to put them in here. Next is the finale!**

 **Oh, and the song Weiss sang is "Shine" by Vienna Teng.**

 **Ch10 preview: _"I hope this won't interfere with your kickboxing," Weiss fretted. "I'd like to come by and watch you in the following weeks, and then we can get to our dates afterward. But at least for today, I... I wanted us to have some time together."_**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**It's time to bring this fic to an end with the year! Thanks for keeping up!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.**

* * *

Chapter 10.

In the following days, Weiss and Yang formed their own sort of schedule.

Now with a girlfriend to see and a reason not to sleep in as much, Yang woke earlier and would stop by the bakery first every day before kickboxing, and then again after. Sometimes, if Ruby was able to get up, she would tag along with Blake as well, either visiting the bakery in the morning before heading to ceramics class, or in the afternoon coming home.

But even when those two did stop by, they made sure never to linger too long.

After all, while Weiss was working was the only time she and Yang really ever got to be together.

The weekday mornings tended to be a bit busier in the shop, and Yang would sit at her table and play her game or read a small book as she waited for the crowd to die down. Once it had, she'd sneak over to the counter and steal a kiss or two from Weiss.

There had been a few instances where they'd very nearly been walked in on, but by some miracle had managed to avoid being caught. Not that it would've been an issue for anyone else, but Weiss and Yang still weren't entirely sure how to go about telling others.

So they kept it between themselves for a while, keeping their relationship within the shop with only the doilies and cakes as witnesses.

Ruby and Blake knew, but Yang never kissed Weiss in front of them, simply because she knew her girlfriend was still a bit shy about it all.

Therefore, Yang kept their kisses to a minimum during the morning hours. But when Weiss had her lunch break and it was almost guaranteed they wouldn't be interrupted, the couple got to enjoy one another a bit more.

Weiss didn't sit on her chair behind the counter to eat anymore, but instead came out onto the main floor to have a seat at Yang's table. She'd eat her salad as Yang would munch on a snack she'd brought from home, and the two would hold conversations about how business had been that day, and things of that nature.

On the following Wednesday, the two girls were eager to spend as much time together as possible, knowing Weiss would be at college tomorrow. So as soon as Yang walked in that afternoon, she went directly to the side of the counter and lifted the top portion aside. Weiss grabbed her little lunch bag and rushed to her, wrapping Yang in a warm hug.

"It feels like it's been so long since I've last seen you," she mumbled. "And I just saw you this morning."

"Tomorrow's gonna be rough," Yang sighed. "What am I supposed to do all day without you? I got nothin'."

"I could say the same thing," Weiss sighed. "Just make sure you text me in the morning. I'll do the same when I get a break between classes and then when I get home."

"Sounds like a plan."

Yang kept her arms around Weiss' back and got an idea. She dipped down to hook her hand behind the girl's knees and lifted her girlfriend into her arms with ease. With a squeak, Weiss cradled her lunch bag in her hands and looked up at Yang.

"Wh-What do you think you're doing?"

"Well, if I can't see you for a _whole_ day tomorrow, I'm gonna enjoy today as much as possible!" Bending forward, Yang pressed a quick kiss to the girl's nose and then her lips. Weiss huffed a bit.

"If anyone sees like this, so help me-"

"Nobody'll see us! I'm just gonna carry you ten feet to our table, so relax~"

Weiss did her best to do just that, letting her shoulders slump comfortably in Yang's arms.

But the blonde was certainly dragging out the 15-second walk to the table for as long as humanly possible. She kept swaying her arms and giving little spins, humming incorrectly to the music on the radio as she gave Weiss peck after peck on her cheeks and forehead. The white-haired girl stole several nervous glances to the doors before she couldn't keep quiet any longer.

"Yang, just put me down already! Don't jostle me so much that I lose my appetite."

"Alright, alright~"

Upon reaching the table, Yang let her girlfriend down slowly, and with another huff, Weiss took her chair.

They went about their usual lunch routine from there, chatting and laughing together.

At random intervals – sometimes to clear away a bit of lettuce from her lip, and sometimes simply because she could – Yang would lean forward across the table to kiss her girlfriend.

Somehow that day, their tangents of conversation had taken them back to the topic of the daisy, and thus, flowers. Before she even fully realized it herself, Weiss was going off about her extensive knowledge of flowers and their language. She was talking almost nonstop, enough so that she'd forgotten about her food and was simply focusing on sharing her knowledge with someone else who was willing to listen.

Throughout her discourse, Yang leaned forward onto her elbows and rested her chin in her palm, wearing an admiring smirk as she listened to Weiss' excited talk.

There was a sparkle in her blue eyes – the same one that appeared when she was working, or doing what she loved the most – and her voice filled Yang's ears like a sweet melody. She'd stopped listening to the actual words a few minutes ago, and now was simply focused on the sound of Weiss' tone, the way she articulated certain words and not others, the little idiosyncrasies that were Weiss Schnee's and no one else's.

Weiss hadn't noticed the goofy grin on Yang's face until the moment the blonde leaned in and kissed her mid-sentence. Weiss cut off in surprise, but didn't reject the girl or push her away.

Although slightly miffed, Weiss merely closed her eyes and returned the kiss before Yang pulled back. Weiss paused in her speech about flowers momentarily to demand answers.

"What was that for, if I may inquire?"

Yang continued to grin and hum.

"Nothin'. Just 'cause you're so darn cute when you go off about the stuff you love. I couldn't resist. But by all means, please continue~"

Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Well now, thanks to your distracting lips, I've forgotten where I was exactly. So I'll just have to talk about something _else_ I love instead, now won't I?"

"Ooooh~ like what? Got any other hobbies you do at home?"

"Not particularly," Weiss shrugged. "I don't intend to talk about an activity. But rather... I'd like to talk about this girl I know. She's infuriatingly tall and tells _awful_ jokes far too often, and yet I always find myself laughing nonetheless.

"She's a bit of a klutz – enough to _pass out_ during her very first kiss – but at the same time she's endearing, sweet, and very, very kind. I can't _ever_ stop thinking about her, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

"She keeps me up at night even when she's miles away, but she's also one of the few reasons I get out of bed in the mornings. I don't think I've ever smiled as much until I met her, and my heart's never beat so quickly before. She's strong, gentle, and criminally beautiful. And I can't imagine what tomorrow will be like without being able to do _this_ -"

Leaning forward, it was Weiss' turn to kiss Yang from across the table. She'd effectively rendered her girlfriend speechless, turned her into a blushing mess who couldn't even think to move away – not that she wanted to.

The second she felt Weiss' lips on hers, Yang couldn't stop herself from reaching out to hug her shoulders and bring her closer.

But the table in between them obstructed the contact, so Yang stood promptly with Weiss in her arms, never breaking the kiss as she squeezed the girl to her chest, keeping Weiss' face level with her own for a deeper kiss.

Weiss' hadn't been lying; like this, Yang could feel the girl's heartbeat thrumming against her own, fast and excited. A pair of slender arms wrapped around Yang's shoulders, a silent declaration that Weiss didn't want to be let go of, even if someone were to walk in right now.

Luckily, no one did, and they held their kiss for a full minute or so before Weiss breathlessly pulled away. Yang purred a giggle as she set her down, bringing Weiss back in for another hug.

"No fair," she mumbled. "I didn't get enough time to compliment you, too."

"I don't mind..." Weiss panted softly. "That kiss... said more than enough. Thank you, Yang."

A moment later, Yang released her girlfriend and they retreated to their table to clean things up, pack away their remaining food, and throw out their trash.

Weiss returned to her spot behind the counter as the afternoon crowd of customers started to file in, and Yang retreated to her table.

The afternoon seemed to pass by much more quickly than most others, as if taunting the two girls about missing one another tomorrow.

As Weiss hung up her apron and said farewell to the bakers at the end of the evening, Yang stood and stretched before sauntering over to the girl. She picked Weiss up once again, locking her arms around the small of her back as Weiss braced her palms on Yang's shoulders. The blonde nuzzled into her blue blouse, and Weiss hugged her gently, playing with Yang's golden mane of hair.

For a moment, there was only silence, and past the music, Yang could just barely make out the faint thumping of Weiss' heartbeat. She sighed and mumbled against the girl's chest.

"I don't wanna leave. Can't we both just have a sleepover here?"

Her muffled voice and childish tone caused Weiss to giggle a bit.

"Oh, come now. Not seeing each other for a single day tomorrow will only make it that much better on Friday when we _can_. Think of it that way." Weiss pulled back slightly to kiss the taller girl's cheek. "It's not the end of the world, Yang. I'll make it up to you on Friday, alright? I promise."

Yang shrugged her shoulders and sighed.

"Alright. I'll try to survive without ya tomorrow, but no promises." She let Weiss slip from her arms until she was standing on her own two feet once more. The white-haired girl strained up onto her tip-toes as Yang dipped down for one final goodnight kiss. "G'night, Weiss. I'll see you Friday."

"See you on Friday."

They headed home on their separate paths, and exchanged a few more text messages before bed that night.

Yang flopped onto her pillow with a long, unexcited sigh, and could only remind herself that Friday was just a day away.

* * *

When she woke the next morning, Yang instantly remembered she couldn't see Weiss, so she merely closed her eyes and tried to fall back asleep, pouting at the bright morning sunlight that seemed to mock her.

She lazed about in bed for a while, until she heard Ruby get up. That was when Yang reached for her phone and texted Weiss:

 ** _I'm up but I have no motivation to move because I can't see you today :(_**

Weiss replied back only a few minutes later:

 ** _Don't be lazy. Get up and go to kickboxing. And by the way, you might want to tell them you can't come tomorrow._**

Yang quirked an eyebrow at that text and quickly replied:

 ** _Why's that?_ **

But the response was simply:

 ** _Sorry, I've got class now. Talk to you later._**

The blonde was left staring curiously at her phone's screen, but Weiss' message had been more than enough to motivate her into action.

She ate breakfast and went to kickboxing as per usual, and informed her instructors she'd likely be missing tomorrow's class.

Afterward, in the time she'd usually spend at the bakery, Yang instead passed the shop and went to Ruby and Blake's ceramic class to observe the final several minutes.

The three of them then stopped by the bakery together, requesting their orders to the boy behind the counter before heading out.

On their way back to their neighborhood, Blake nudged her elbow into Yang's ribs.

"Day's almost over," she informed her. "So you can stop pouting now, okay? You'll see her soon."

"Huh? Was I that obvious?"

"Uuuh, yeah!" Ruby laughed.

"Yang, you're more lovesick than a puppy without a bone," Blake said gently, in the manner only a true friend could tease.

The blonde snorted and blushed a bit as they continued on their way. She and Ruby hugged Blake goodbye and headed for home, and all that evening, Yang texted Weiss about her day.

It was nice to discover Weiss had been thinking about her just as often, and even admitted she'd been daydreaming in class enough to get scolded a bit by a professor.

 ** _Oh no, really?_** Yang texted her from the living room couch. **_You didn't get in trouble, did you?_**

 ** _No,_** Weiss replied. **_But my pride as a student is a bit wounded. I expect you to take responsibility for that tomorrow and make it up to me._**

 ** _I'll do the best I can!_** Yang promised.

Several messages and a few little text hearts later, she curled up for bed, eager for whatever tomorrow would have in store for them.

* * *

It was almost uncanny how quickly Yang woke and got changed the next morning.

She wrestled her way into a nice blouse and a pair of shorts, brushed her hair and teeth at the same time, and then doused herself in perfume. She'd packed a lunch in a handbag, said goodbye to her parents, and headed out the door before Ruby had even woken up.

Yang didn't even try to deny that she was skipping down the sidewalk that fine summer morning as she headed for her favorite place and her favorite person. She was humming the tune of the song she'd caught Weiss singing a few days earlier, and before long, the scents of freshly-baked bread danced on the roof of her mouth once more.

A few skips later, and the bakery's open doors were in sight-

-and so was someone else.

A small girl with pure white hair all down her back stood outside, adorning an ice-colored sundress, hands folded behind her back as she appeared to be waiting for someone.

Yang almost shrieked in delight as she rushed down the sidewalk.

"Weiss! Oh my gosh, _look at you!_ "

Her voice alerted the white-haired girl, and Weiss just barely managed to smile and open her arms before Yang crashed gently into her, picking her up and twirling her twice. Their lips met once before Weiss' shoes touched the ground again, and when they parted, Yang had a million things to gush about.

"Good morning! Oh wow, gosh look at your hair! I mean, I knew it was long, but I never knew you had this _much_ of it! I've never seen you with it down before – it's absolutely gorgeous! But why are you out here? Shouldn't you be inside? The shop's already open, isn't it?"

Before Yang could give herself a hernia, Weiss reached up and pressed her index finger to her excited girlfriend's lips to silence her.

"First of all," Weiss said calmly. "Good morning to you as well. Secondly, thank you. I'm glad you like my hair this way. And thirdly, I won't be needing my apron today."

She nodded sideways into the shop, and Yang followed her gaze. The same boy who substituted for Weiss on Thursdays was standing there behind the counter once more, already busy with the first wave of customers.

Yang returned her puzzled lavender gaze to Weiss' confident blue ones, and the shorter girl explained herself.

"I finally broke the news to my father a few nights ago. I thought he might be a bit indecisive about how he felt about it, but actually, he was so happy that he hugged me.

"Evidently, he'd been waiting for me to find someone to date for years now, and was worried I was too focused on work and school to think about romance.

"So when I asked for today off... he decided to give me not only today, but every Friday off for the remainder of the summer. He said after working a full five days at the shop and then going to school all day, the day after, I should have some time to myself."

Yang listened in silence as Weiss explained everything, unable to wipe the wide grin off her face the entire time.

"Really? You got today off? And _every_ Friday from now on? That's great! You deserve it, Weiss! You really do work too hard. Take a breather every once in a while, yeah?"

"That would be preferable, yes," she agreed. "He'd tried to persuade me to get some time off in the past, but I never had a reason to say yes. But now..." Her eyes flashed happily up to Yang's. "Now I have you. Which is why I hereby declare Fridays to be the days for our weekly dates."

Yang felt her jaw drop, though her heart was soaring within seconds.

"Really?!" she gasped. "S-So like, _every_ Friday from now on, I can have you all to myself?"

"I hope this won't interfere with your kickboxing," Weiss fretted. "I'd like to come by and watch you in the following weeks, and then we can get to our dates afterward. But at least for today, I... I wanted us to have some time together."

Yang was so enthralled she couldn't even speak at the moment. So instead, she just squealed and hugged Weiss again, jumping up and down and taking the smaller girl with her.

"I can't believe it!" she cried. "I get to go on my first date with you today!" She stopped jumping and kissed Weiss' temple. "I mean but... I didn't really have anything planned, but we could like... I don't know-"

"You oaf," Weiss chuckled with a playful smile. "Of course I didn't expect you to have anything planned. You only just found out two minutes ago. So today, I hope it'll be alright if our first date is just something simple, like a walk around town or to the park or something. Would that be alright?"

"You kiddin'? That's be _perfect!_ " Yang picked her girlfriend up once more and kissed her again before setting her back down. "C'mon, then! I'll show ya around town! There's not much to see, but I think it'll be fun if we go together!"

"I think so, too," Weiss agreed.

Only then did Yang notice a bag Weiss had on the ground nearby, and she instantly offered to carry it for her. Weiss agreed, but promised to hold it for the second half of the walk.

Before they headed out, Yang offered her palm to Weiss; of all the kisses and embraces they'd shared, she'd yet to hold her girlfriend's hand.

Weiss was eager for it as well, and she slipped her fingers into place, entwining them with Yang's as their palms pressed together.

Yang maintained a firm grip on that delicate hand as she began leading the way.

She reminded herself that Weiss was fairly new to these parts, and other than the family bakery, hadn't really seen too much of the town.

So she took the liberty of bringing her to all the different little shops. Yang went in the direction opposite the flower shop, intending to save that for last.

They passed a few thrift shops and stores that sold clothes and knick-knacks, children's toys and school supplies. Even in such a childish, commonplace store, they both managed to have fun, reminiscing about the toys they'd often played with in their younger years.

They entered several small jewelry stores as well, and Yang only let go of Weiss' hand briefly to slip away down an aisle and sneak to the register to purchase a small bracelet covered in little blue gemstones. She placed the box into her shorts pocket before hurrying back into the aisles in search of Weiss.

They met up a few minutes later by the door, and their hands came together again as they stepped outside.

They walked a circle around the town, passing several restaurants they considered trying out together in future weeks.

And then there was the pet store, where Weiss surprised her girlfriend by remembering a certain tidbit from weeks past.

"Is this the place with your 'rolling kitten'?" she wondered. "The one you were _so_ distracted by that you got punched in the face?"

Yang chuckled sheepishly.

"Actually, there aren't any kittens here," she confessed. "Just birds and gerbils and stuff. I made the kitten up. When I got hit in the face, it was actually 'cause I was thinkin' about _you_."

She revealed this information as though Weiss hadn't already known. The white-haired girl laughed out loud and nuzzled her cheek to Yang's.

"I _know_ that, you idiot," she said with a kiss.

They soon passed the kickboxing building where the lessons Yang was missing were going on at present.

"Next week is gonna be awesome," she mused. "I'll show up for class with the prettiest girl ever on my arm and all my buddies are gonna drop to the floor in shock. You're gonna love them, trust me."

"I'm sure I will."

They passed by the tailor shop, a few more restaurants and thrift shops, an ice cream shop, and an antique store. Somewhere along the lines, Weiss politely insisted she take her bag back and carry it herself. Yang slipped it onto her shoulder for her and then kissed her temple.

The sidewalk soon brought them back around town to the flower shop, a place familiar to the both of them due to its proximity to the bakery. The old woman who owned it was standing in the outdoor portion watering plants when the couple walked by, her cat sun-bathing nearby.

"Oh!" the woman said. "I know you two! You're the nice girl who works at the bakery," she said to Weiss. "And you're the one who came by and bought that daisy. Is this the lucky girl, then?"

"You bet'cha!" Yang grinned. "Thanks to you, I got myself a girlfriend!"

"Well now, isn't that just precious? Congratulations."

They thanked the old woman and wished her a good day before heading off again.

Before long, they could smell the bakery, but Yang didn't take them back to it just yet. It had been two hours since they'd set out, and it was almost noon by now.

"Let's head to the park," she decided.

"Perfect," Weiss smiled. "I've packed a bit of lunch in advance," she said, nodding to the bag on her arm.

Yang's eyes went wide in delight.

"No way! My first date and you actually made a homemade lunch? Oh man, you're the best, you know that?" Again, she kissed her girlfriend's cheek.

Weiss ran a hand through her hair and smiled.

"Flatterer."

Weiss had rarely been to the local park before, so she kept her hand in Yang's as she walked alongside her toward it.

The town was a bit warmer due to lack of trees, but there were plenty to go around in the park. Shade was a much-welcomed sanctuary for the two girls now, and their shoes treaded on soft grass rather than hard cement.

They passed groups of children playing and even several other couples going for a stroll.

Yang led them to the first empty picnic table in sight and released Weiss' hand.

"Havin' fun so far?" she wondered. "I mean it's not much for a first date, but..."

"You hush," Weiss said. "It's the most fun I've had in ages."

"Then I can't wait till next week when I can take you to all different kinds of places. We can go to the movies or out to dinner, and I've got some other places in mind, too~"

"And I look forward to all of that," Weiss promised. "But for now, I'll enjoy our first date to the fullest."

They each sat at one side of the table as Weiss reached into her handbag. She'd packed two bottles of water and two sandwiches, as well as two brownies from the bakery. Weiss handed Yang her portion of things and a few napkins, and was thanked with another kiss.

They enjoyed the snack in peace, and rather than passing cars and ringing registers, the sounds of birdsong and children's laughter filled the air now.

At one point, Yang ended up dropping her water bottle and it spilled all over the bench. Weiss sighed at her hopelessly before offering her own bottle.

Yang thanked her and chuckled comments about "indirect kisses" for a moment until Weiss had her clean up the spilled water and toss the empty bottle into the trash.

Once they'd both finished their meal, Yang slung the bag's strap over her shoulder again and stood, coaxing Weiss to do the same.

She led her to a nearby bench, where they could sit down beside one another rather than across. Yang deposited Weiss' bag on the ground and leaned into her a bit.

It was then she reached into her pocket to retrieve the little box and handed it to Weiss.

Her girlfriend gave her a surprised glance, but she opened it nonetheless. Weiss' eyes lit up and shimmered like tiny pools of water as she discovered the bracelet inside.

"Yang..." she gasped. "It's lovely."

"I wanted it to match your eyes," she said. "Though nothing could ever be as pretty as those~"

"You're too much."

Yang took the bracelet and carefully fastened it around Weiss' wrist for her – a perfect fit.

"Thank you so much," Weiss murmured, kissing her cheek. "You didn't have to."

"But I wanted to!"

"Then..." Weiss reached into her dress' pocket as well. "I was going to wait until later, but I suppose now is as good a time as any to give you this."

She presented Yang with a small box of her own. Yang noticed it was from the same store where she'd purchased Weiss' gift.

She laughed when she realized they'd both snuck around behind the other's back to buy each other a present.

The blonde humbly accepted the gift and opened the box to reveal a necklace of thin wire. The main piece was a shimmering purple gemstone.

"I wanted it to match your eyes, too," Weiss said. "But you've already beaten me to the cliché lines I'd wanted to say."

Yang laughed again and hugged her.

"Thanks, Weiss. I love it! Help me put it on?"

Weiss motioned for her to turn around, and Yang gathered her hair over one shoulder. She felt Weiss' cool hands brushing softly against the nape of her neck as she clipped the necklace into place. Once finished, she turned Yang back around to admire the results.

"You're even more beautiful than usual, if I do say so myself."

"But not as beautiful as you~" Yang purred.

"That's up for debate."

"No it's not."

They bickered briefly and playfully for a few minutes, until they found their hands in the other's hair, running up and down backs and sides. Their lips came together again and again, melting into each and every breath.

Weiss tangled her fingers lightly through Yang's hair, massaging her shoulders in slow, meticulous motions.

Yang kept one hand on her girlfriend's cheek, and the other rested on her side, where she could feel Weiss' heart thrumming beneath her ribcage.

They didn't have to hold back here, as there was little risk of being found out.

They lost themselves in one another, ankles crossing and curling around calves. Lips pressed over cheeks and foreheads, along hairlines and earlobes, passing noses and chins to flutter along the sides of necks.

Weiss tended to stick to kissing Yang's face, but the blonde couldn't help but stray down to Weiss' collar, kissing over her heart before tucking her head beneath the girl's chin.

Weiss held her close for a while, breathing in her citrusy scent, savoring her warmth and her closeness.

And Yang nestled closer, listening to Weiss' heartbeat once more, until the rhythm became a tune in her ears.

Weiss closed her eyes as well and rested for a while with Yang's arms wrapped around her waist and back, keeping her perfectly warm.

They stayed on their bench for about an hour and dozed lightly beneath the shelter of a tree, a familiar scene of two lovers enjoying one another's presence, easy to miss, but nonetheless pleasant to observe.

A while later, Yang shifted and roused herself, straightening up to kiss Weiss' cheek and wake her as well. The taller girl stood and offered her hand to the other, helping Weiss to her feet once she'd gathered her bag.

"Shall we continue on our way?" Yang wondered. "We've still got the entire afternoon to spare."

Weiss nodded.

"Let's. And we can plan out next week's date, and the week after."

"You got it," Yang agreed. "But even before then, I'll get to see you at the bakery all the time. I wonder how many times I can kiss you in a week?"

"I guess we'll just have to find out," Weiss shrugged. She strained up and kissed her girlfriend's cheek again. "But let's start counting tomorrow, shall we? I fear there's already been too many today."

"Too many," Yang repeated. "Buuut still not enough."

"I wholeheartedly agree."

The two girls shared a knowing look, their respective pieces of jewelry catching in the sunlight.

They closed their eyes and shared yet another long kiss - warm, gentle, and firm.

Weiss smelled of bread and cookies, and Yang smelled of sweat and citrus.

When the kiss ended, their hands came together once again.

Together, the two girls headed off through the park to continue their first date of many more to come.

* * *

 **A/N: Again, thank you all so much for reading Bakery AU! Onto the next fic!**

 **If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!**

 **Please review!**


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